Dragonshade
by Acidika
Summary: A simple letter leads a shy dragon-hybrid girl into a whirling romance with the most powerful man and woman in the city, unconcerned by her draconic heritage and embracing her as a pillar of beauty and worship, something so foreign to her normally. Rated M for minor language, strong sexual content and minor violence. Further summary in first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Right, before I begin, this story was a request by a close friend of mine, Star, who initially requested I make this story as cringy and poorly written as possible as a joke story. I couldn't do that, and she allowed me to write it properly. Next, this story is designed to make fun of Fifty Shades of Grey's poor representation of a consentual relationship, and as such, will draw elements from the franchise, but has heavy modifications. Next, this story is not meant to infringe upon copyright, all rights belong to their respective owners, it is written as a joke, for entertainment purposes.**

* * *

"Ah, young Lady... we've been expecting your arrival. Please, this way."

She clutched a letter inside her hoodie pocket, her face mostly covered by the hood, not saying a word as she was escorted through the front hall of the large, opulent mansion she had been requested to visit in the very letter between her fingers. The domestic servant, having greeted her, said nothing during the entire walk up to the second floor, through a few corridors, and finally, through the large double doors of some sort of office.

Her gaze lingered only for a moment on the sharply dressed man at the door beside her, travelling along the scope of her hood's limits until she laid her eyes upon two individuals that clearly gave off the body language that they were waiting for her to approach them at the desk at their end of the room.

She could feel herself tensing as she silently approached, but somehow stopped herself from taking the empty chair that had been set in front of the large, polished desk that the man and woman were waiting opposite to her.

"Good day, Miss Black Rock Shooter. I see you've accepted our invitation. Please, sit." The man spoke, his voice deep, but oddly calming to her. So, she sat down, nervously perched on the edge of the comfortable leather, her hands still nervously in her pocket, gripping the letter even tighter than moments ago. "My name is Julius Iron. I am the High Mage of the city. This is my wife, Lilith."

Black Rock Shooter's hooded head turned very slightly towards where Lilith was standing, and minutely tilted downwards in a small nod of acknowledgement before turning back to Julius.

"Now then, I'll have to ask that you please give the letter I had sent to you, as a means of proof it's really you." Julius held out his hand, and Black Rock Shooter hesitated for a tiny moment before slowly extending her hand from within her pocket, and slowly placed the page in his awaiting palm. In doing so, the black scales on the back of her hand were briefly shown, but she returned it to her pocket almost immediately. "Thank you. Now, straight to the point, why I invited you here." He unfoled the page, scanned it quickly, then placed it off to the side of the desk's surface, out of the way. "I've had my eye on you for a while now, and I am aware of your condition, as well as your heritage. So, if you are comfortable with it, could you please remove your hood, so I may at least speak to you face to face?"

Black Rock Shooter immediately shook her head back and forth.

"Very well, I can respect your choices. But, since you use your hands to communicate, would it be acceptable to at least remove your hands from your pocket?" Julius was still speaking in that same calming voice, so after a moment of no response, she slowly brought both hands out onto her lap, nervously clasping them together.

"Thank you. Now, firstly, I have taken steps to ensure the ability for myself and Lilith to comprehend your use of sign language, but we are well aware that you are not deaf by any means. So, with that being said, you can sign to us and we will be able to fully translate." Julius explained, to which Lilith nodded once in agreement. "Secondly, we are also aware of your heritage, and by no means wish to make you feel uncomfortable. I respect you, and wish that this meeting proceed smoothly for yourself and for us as well."

Black Rock Shooter's head lifted very slightly, almost as if her curiosity had been piqued by that statement. But, other than her small movement, she gave no reply or acknowledgement.

"Before I proceed, would you care for any refreshments?" Julius asked suddenly, which definitely got Black Rock Shooter's attention, given the lifting of her head even further, which, for the briefest moment, revealed one of her striking blue eyes under the shadow of the hood, in which she blinked in surprise before slowly raising her hands to sign her reply.

[ _I'm fine for now, thank you._ ]

"Very well, the offer is open at any time from here on." Julius nodded once as he clasped his hands together in his lap, still giving her his undivided attention. "May I present the main topic that I wished to discuss with you today?"

Black Rock Shooter tilted her head forward far enough to visibly indicate she was nodding in agreement.

"I wish to... how do I word this without using dated terms...?" Julius paused for a moment, considering what to say, but Lilith spoke up, her voice beautifully musical and elegant.

"We want you to be our girlfriend. A relationship."

Black Rock Shooter didn't sign her reply right away. She was completely immobile for a moment, taking visibly steadying breaths before raising one hand to pull back her hood to reveal her face.

Like the back of her hands, part of her face along her jaw was adorned with black scales, and poking out of her hair were two short horns, and her brilliant blue eyes were razor thin, reptilian slits... She was part dragon.

With a visible, nervous gulp, she looked back and forth between them with just her eyes before lifting her hands to start signing. [ _I don't understand what you mean._ ]

"It's just as we say. We want to start a relationship with you." Julius replied. "Of course, there's particulars to address, but first and foremost, we will clarify any questions or concerns you have."

[ _So you want to date me? Why? I'm not..._ ] Black Rock Shooter's hands paused for a moment before she finished her sentence. [ _... Normal_.]

"You don't have to be normal to garner the attention of another, my dear." Lilith place a hand over her chest, near her throat. "In fact, what caught our eye about you is what attracts us so. We aren't normal either, and that's just fine for us."

[ _And you don't care about... my scales? or my sign language?_ ]

"My dear, have you not noticed my ears?" Lilith smiled, placing the same hand over her mouth as she giggled slightly. "I'm half-elf... Drow, specifically."

Of course, that comment drew Black Rock Shooter's gaze to Lilith's ears; long, pointed, and standing at a high angle away from the sides of her head.

[ _But I'm half-dragon... doesn't that matter?_ ]

"No. Not in the slightest, in fact, it attracts us even more to you." Julius smiled very slightly. "We are both drawn to you, and both of us wish to express that attraction to you, in our own, personal ways."

[ _But... there's one of me, and two of you..._ ]

"It's called a 'polyamorous relationship', my dear. Multiple lovers. If you wish to have this relationship, and you chose to accept us, then we'll go over the particulars of it. But to even do that, you must agree with the idea, we're not going to force ourselves upon you. It's your choice to make." Lilith explained, lowering her hand and smiling at the younger woman seated before her.

Black Rock Shooter looked down at her hands, her expression clearly one of intense thought. After several seconds of silence, Julius spoke up. "If you need time to think it over, we won't force you to stay here in unfamiliar territory. You're free to come back with your decision..."

With her first quick movement, Black Rock Shooter's hand flashed up, palm out, in a clear and obvious 'stop' gesture, before she fully raised her head and stared directly at him before beginning to sign. [ _Thank you for that, but I've already decided. I accept the offer to have this... P.O.L.Y.A.M.O.R.U.S relationship with you two._ ]

"If I may, since I mentioned we're able to translate sign language, this is how you sign 'Polyamorous'." Julius demonstrated the proper sign for the new word, since Black Rock Shooter had clearly never heard it used, thus had to spell it out in sign, but had spelled it incorrectly. "And, if you're willing, shall we continue with the particulars that Lilith mentioned? Or would you wish to retire for the day, and return at a later time, so you may process and prepare for what lies ahead?"

[ _I'm fine. Let's continue._ ] Black Rock Shooter shook her head, then vaguely gestured her upward facing palm towards the desk between them.

"Very well, first and foremost, I have something for you to read. It's a contract." Julius opened a drawer in his desk and produced a file folder with some papers within it. He withdrew the papers from it, and presented them to the young woman before him, along with a pen from inside his suit jacket. "I'd ask that you read this, and we can begin discussing the terms, including any amendments that need to be made."

[ _A contract? Why do I get the feeling this isn't the first one you've slid across that desk?_ ] Black Rock Shooter signed before accepting the papers, and began reading. She was surprised to find it was in a vocabulary that wasn't above her head, and listened to Julius' reply to her cheeky question.

"In this context, yes, it isn't the first of it's kind. But, this desk has seen many a contract slid both ways." Julius chuckled, allowing her to finish reading the rules and conditions of the contract regarding the polyamorous relationship. He knew she would have questions or red flags to address, so he and Lilith patiently watched her read the entire contract, word for word, twice, then placed the papers back on the desk and clasped her fingers together, just like Julius was doing, and crossed her legs at the knee in a sassy manner, while her expression was clearly deep in thought, her gaze idly travelling around the room, lingering on nothing in particular until she inhaled through her nose, filling her lungs, then reversed it, which let out a shimmering wave of heat in the process.

[ _I have no major questions for this arrangement, but I do not agree with one particular point. I wish to address it immediately._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed, and her expression was quite calm despite the wording she was using in her response.

"Which point exactly?" Julius asked, glancing at the pages, despite knowing them from back to front. He wrote it, obviously.

[ _Section six, paragragh two. Sexual relations outside of our designated relationships._ ] Black Rock Shooter designated the particular area of concern. [ _What I want to know is why there's no mention of the three of us doing so together, instead of solely you and me, or Lilith and me._ ]

"You mean a threesome?" Julius raised an eyebrow, and showed her the sign for the new word. "Well... because every other recipient of this exact contract didn't want it, and despite it being offered early on, it was ignored for long enough to no longer be considered, and was thus removed. You clearly wish to reinstate it, and, if we're both willing, then by all means, it shall be readded for your contract as the first amendment. Lilith, would you be opposed to the amendment?" He turned to his wife, and she shook her head.

"I will gladly participate in threesomes, for her. I am not opposed."

With that, Julius nodded, and refocused on Black Rock Shooter again. "Anything else to address on the matter?"

[ _I want the freedom to decide on them entirely, whenever we're mutually able to, of course._ ] Black Rock Shooter let out another sigh of heated air, thinking for a moment before continuing to sign. [ _But, I'm willing to allow for wiggle room on this threesome amendment, it's open for discussion at any time._ ]

"I accept the terms. Lilith?" Julius nodded without even hesitating.

"As do I."

With that, Black Rock Shooter had nothing else stopping her from signing the contract in front of her, doing so without another delay, and slid the contract back to Julius along with the pen.

"I'll have the amendment drafted and added to this document, and the fresh copy filed and delivered to you, if you wish, Miss Black Rock Shooter." Julius shuffled the pages into a neat stack and returned them to the file folder before holding out his hand across the desk for her, which she accepted, only for him to adjust his grip and lean forward to kiss her knuckles without breaking eye contact with her. " _Darling_."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, what did you think of her?" Lilith asked as she sipped some tea beside Julius while he added Black Rock Shooter's amendment to the contract at his desk where the initial exchange had taken place.

"I noted issues of self-confidence, but hints of personal pride. My guess is that she's ashamed or possibly mistreated about her draconic heritage, but the ever present pride of that same creature is conflicting within her. It makes for an interesting dynamic, to say the least." Julius replied as he wrote. "But, my observations aside... I think she's young, bright, and knows we mean her no harm."

"Come now, Julius, there has to be something about her that you particularly enjoy, even from just this meeting with her. Those eyes of her are just to die for, so bright and sharp, and the way they react to the light is just fascinating!" Lilith couldn't help smiling at the memory of watching Black Rock Shooter's reptilian eyes shining like sapphires from under her hood, then when she had thrown her hood back, how they adjusted to the change in lighting for a tangible moment. Their sharp, cyan glow, edged by a slight sliver of a deep ocean blue, or is it more of a true sapphire blue itself?

"I can't say that I have a favourite quite yet, unfortunately." Julius shook his head slightly. "I'm still in the prepratory phase of our relationship arrangement with her, and it requires at least one visit with her at her home. I would rather do the honours myself, but you've done this same meeting with the previous girls we've signed contracts with."

"Hmmm..." Lilith took a pointedly long sip of her tea, letting her hum hang in the air for a few seconds before she lowered the cup to the saucer in her other hand. "She had her eyes on you more than she did with me. Now I won't deny seeing her eyes darting all over me, but she was watching you like a hawk the rest of the time. I think you should be the one that has the first visit to her home."

"I'm surprised you're offering it to me this time. Very well, if I finish the preparations on my end quickly enough, I should be able to reach her in time before she runs off to the forest for the night..." Julius checked his watch as he spoke, but let his own words drift off without elaboration.

Part of their research observations for Black Rock Shooter were about her home in the city, her job at the local animal shelter, and her limited social life... but also her frequent, borderlining on nightly nights where she would visit the expansive local wildernesses, shedding her human half in favour of her draconic side. But, she didn't just run off to hunt for food. Not in the slightest, in fact.

She went into the woods mostly to be with her equals, the other creatures that inhabited the wilds. And, having disguised himself as a creature to follow her during this research period, he noted just how... free she felt, and noted that she likewise shed her clothing during the transition from city to forests. Although the exact location was unknown to him, he suspected she at least kept them in some sort of secured location to return to when she would return home.

And, from his recon work, he was almost certain that Black Rock Shooter was able to tame the wildlife just with her presense. Even in his animal form, he was able to note the sense of calm, almost serenity that she had in nature. Which was in strong contrast to her highly tensed state in the city. If he had to make an educated guess, her lack of a useable voice wasn't a hinderance outside of the city for her, and almost... aided her taming abilities.

His academic side yearned to learn more of his new partner's amazing ability, but the other part of him knew better than to poke and prod her like that. This was a romantic relationship. He signed, collecting his thoughts as he finished writing the amendment and slid it back into her file.

* * *

Black Rock Shooter actually went straight home after the contract signing with Julius and Lilith, finding herself exhausted far more than she should've been for a healthy walk to the upper class area of the city's outskirt.

With a sign, she knew she should've taken the effort to just unfurl her wings and fly there, and back, but hindsight was 20/20, as the saying went. So she fought every fiber of her reptilian side's pechance for laziness and hauled herself off her couch to take a shower... Only for a knock on her apartment door to reach her ears as she was in the midst of pulling off her hoodie.

Almost nobody bothered to knock on her door, and the very few that did only did so in the morning to sell things door to door. It was sunset... So she slowly sorted her hoodie back in place, and approached the door, slowly opening it just enough to peer through.

It was Julius himself. Not a representative, not a servant from the mansion. _Julius_.

"Good evening, my dear. There's something I'd neglected to go over with you during our meeting earlier, would it be alright if I went over it with you?"

Black Rock Shooter knew he'd said he'd 'had his eye on her' for a while, but hadn't considered just how extensively he'd done so... so somehow the idea of him knowing where she lived didn't surprise her. Nor the fact that he likely drove here, while she herself had - foolishly - walked home instead of doing the sensible thing and used her damn wings.

With a nod through the gap, she held up one finger before closing the door, then removed the door chain and held it fully open for him to enter. He bowed his head with a smile, and stepped inside, keeping his hands clasped together in front of himself before turning back to her as she closed the door.

[ _So what was it that we missed during the meeting?_ ] Black Rock Shooter asked, her gaze scanning his face curiously for the first few seconds, but it devolved into examining his actual features; his silvery-grey eyes, dark brunette hair, healthy, naturally tanned skin, sharp, clean-shaved face, and his strong jawline. It took her those few seconds to realize that... he was gorgeous.

"Well, since the contract is being drafted with the new amendment we've agreed on, now is time to move onto transitional details. First of which is this." Julius reached into his suit jacket and produced a cellphone... a brand new one, the latest model. "For you, to get ahold of both myself and Lilith at any time, for whatever reason. And, at the same time, for us to check in with you. It is part of the contract for you to have, and is paid for by myself. Lilith's and my own number are already in your contact list, and your number is likewise in our phones." He held out the device for her, and she accepted it, briefly staring at her reflection in the surface before gingerly sliding it into her hoodie pocket.

[ _You're clearly aware that I'm... half dragon... Do I have to worry about accidentally breaking it?_ ] Black Rock Shooter signed, then her hands paused for a moment, her fingers curling nervously before she added. [ _I'm actually stronger than I look... A lot stronger._ ]

"Accidents happen, and when they do, the phone is covered under insurance, and any data recoverable from the device will salvaged in case the phone breaks. Likewise, if you're unable to get ahold of us right after it happens, we will hopefully have established at least one additional means to get in touch with you by then." Julius nodded. "The next item... well, more like, the next topic... is actually something Lilith suggested with a previous contractee, and that is for you to spend the night with us, tonight specifically. And, on a personal note, I am already aware that you walked home the entire way here. This time, I've driven here, and that is how we shall be returning, if you choose to accept the request, of course."

[ _I was actually planning to have a shower when you arrived._ ] Black Rock Shooter glanced over at one of the doors at the other end of her apartment, which she was only really present in a few nights every week, and hardly at all during the day, so it was incredibly clean all things considered. [ _So can I think about that one while we discuss any other topics you have?_ ]

"One more, sadly." Julius nodded at her request before he spoke. "If my arrival here wasn't indicative enough, I've done several weeks of research and reconnaissance about you. I have an entire file on your routines, locations and the like. Including your visits to the forests whenever you get a chance to. I wanted to at least bring this out into the open. I grew both curious and concerned by your behaviour, and did so in the hopes to eventually send you the very letter that lead you to signing the contract earlier this evening."

[ _So you stalked me?_ ]

"Yes, in simple terms, I did."

[ _Which part of me did you stalk more? Human or Dragon?_ ]

"Equally, actually. I took the form of various animals to follow you in the woods, and stayed as myself while mapping our your patterns in the city. If I was unable to map your city side for a day, Lilith would take over for that day, and share the results she gathered."

[ _So... that means you saw how I'm treated here in the city... didn't you?_ ]

"As much as I disliked it, I couldn't give away that I was following you. Had I been able, I would've done something to help." Julius sighed slightly, lowering his head. "If there's anything I could do for you to forgive me of that, I would gladly do so in a heartbeat."

Rock was silent, unmoving for several moments, clearly thinking about an actual response. She crossed her arms over her stomach, shifted her weight onto one foot, then nodded once.

[ _Kiss me._ ]

Julius watched her signing her response, and without even a change in expression to the contrary, he crouched down onto one knee, gently placing one hand along the side of her cheek and slowly inched forward until their lips met.


	3. Chapter 3

Black Rock Shooter's second visit to the Iron mansion felt far less intimidating than mere hours earlier, but this time, those same halls she had walked through were now accompanied by the scent of cooked foods, the aromatic medley was quite soothing, making her feel just that little bit more at ease.

"Right this way, Lilith is already waiting for us."

Julius smiled at her slightly distracted expression, holding out his arm to indicate which direction they were headed.

She quickly followed him through a pair of doors that were flanked by servants, and were greeted by a long dining table, at the far end of which sat Lilith, a small smile forming on her face as soon as she laid her eyes on them.

"Hello again, my dear. Sorry for the confusion and such, but this second visit is a... tradition, for this contract." Lilith explained as the duo sat with her at the end of the table. "And knowing my husband the way I do... I already know he gave you your phone and told you about the... 'stalking' we did on you these past two months."

[ _He told me, yes._ ]

"Are you hungry? I assure you, the kitchen staff are well prepared for any specialty diet you might have."

[ _A little. And I don't have any special diet details._ ]

"Out of curiosity, do you eat more of a carnivorous diet, or omnivorous? I ask since dragons are mostly known to be carnivores." Lilith asked, since she herself was part elf, so she mostly ate a vegan diet, and Julius, being a human, ate a mostly balanced diet.

[ _Mostly carnivorous. My teeth are more dragon than human. Most vegetables are hard for me to chew, but I can still process them once I manage to get them down._ ]

"If I may, Julius is having steak this evening, would you like one as well?" Lilith smiled at the new knowledge about Black Rock Shooter.

[ _Yes, please._ ] Black Rock Shooter nodded along with her sign language, but Julius smiled slightly.

"How do you eat your steaks?" He asked, which made her blink in confusion for a moment.

[ _I don't understand._ ]

"Have you... eaten steak cooked before?" Lilith asked quietly, almost curiously.

[ _I usually hunted in the forest for my meat. Ate it on the spot after I made the kill._ ]

"Well, for the sake of the kitchen staff, for your first steak, we'll have it prepared in a manner known as 'rare'. It's lightly cooked, so as close to a raw kill as we can get it." Lilith explained. "All that we ask is that you use a fork and a knife to eat it, alright?"

Black Rock Shooter started smiling, letting out small sniff-like bursts of air out of her nose, almost as if she was laughing.

[ _I may be part dragon, but I still know my manners._ ]

All three of them laughed again, and with that, Julius held up his hand for a staff member to approach, then instructed them on how to prepare Black Rock Shooter's steak. The order was swiftly accepted with a bow, then the servant left through another set of doors behind them, obviously towards the kitchens, leaving Julius to refocus his attention on the two women seated with him.

[ _So, Lilith, you mentioned your elf side is Drow. What are Drow?_ ] Black Rock Shooter signed to Lilith across the table, whilst taking in her features; lightly grey skintone, long white hair, brownish red eyes, and of course, her long pointed ears, which Black Rock Shooter noted moved up and down quite freely as she spoke or listened to her surroundings.

"Drow is the proper name, but we're also known as Dark elves. In the past, we were from an underground region known as the Underdark. But, over the past few centuries, we left the Underdark in favour of living on the surface." Lilith explained. "But, since I'm only a half-elf, I was born on the surface; my mother was Drow, and my father was a human, just like Julius."

[ _I know at least that all elves live much longer than humans, just like dragons do. So..._ ] Black Rock Shooter paused mid-sentence, then glanced at Julius for a moment before continuing with what she wanted to ask. [ _How old are you?_ ]

"Thirty two." Lilith laughed, a musical giggle to Black Rock Shooter's naive question. "Julius is older than I am. He's thirty four. What about you, darling? How old are you?" Lilith knew at least that Black Rock Shooter was an adult, but none of their previous looking into her revealed her age.

[ _Twenty three._ ]

"Hmmm... well, since you're of age, would you care for some wine with dinner this evening?" Lilith smiled, her expression somewhat sly. "I assure you, if you don't like it, you won't have to force yourself to drink it."

[ _Sure, I'll try some wine. Do you make it yourself?_ ]

"Julius is the one that got me into it, yes. Although, I did learn a few tricks from my mother." Lilith giggled again, pleased that Black Rock Shooter was willing to try her homemade wine. "I'm sure it's of no concern to you, but I do only use natural ingredients and some Drow techniques in my wines. I will admit, the last contractee we had was not a fan of my wine at all."

[ _I'm also pretty sure they weren't half dragon, now were they?_ ] Black Rock Shooter smirked as she signed her cheeky question.

"No, they were not." Julius chuckled, letting the conversation fade off as the sounds of the kitchen staff approaching reached their ears, signalling the arrival of their meals, which were laid before them with fluid efficiency, along with a bottle of wine at the end of the line, which was poured into three gleaming glasses for them.

Of course, Black Rock Shooter's eyes went from their usual narrow slits to nearly full circles at the sight of the beautifully prepared steak on her plate. Her dragon half was smitten with the scent of the beef, and she could feel the urge to dig in rising in her mind, but after a small exhale to steady herself, she managed to tear her gaze away from the meat to gather herself, and her gaze landed upon Julius' amused smile.

"You're right, Lilith, I do quite enjoy those eyes of hers. That had to have taken quite a bit of willpower to resist tearing into it, as much as you wanted to, yes?" Julius teased her, and Black Rock Shooter couldn't help but nod before she signed her reply.

[ _Even though it's been cooked, it still set off my hunting instincts._ ]

"I noticed." Julius smiled. "You don't have to worry though, the steak isn't going to run off anywhere."

Normally, any sort of teasing like that about her dragon side would make her uncomfortable, but somehow, the way Julius had said it made her feel... good. He wasn't mocking her, and he certainly wasn't trying to insult her either. It was just a joke, and of course, it had amused her. Why was something like that so difficult for people in the city to do? Why did something like that always destroy her self-confidence when it wasn't Julius or Lilith saying it?

Dismissing the thought from her mind, she retrieved the knife and fork that had been laid at her side, and began slicing into the soft, mostly pink meat, and found the mutual lack of conversation comforting. Lilith and Julius, clearly eating, seemed to want her involved in any chatting that took place during the meal, another far cry from her life in the city. So many simultaneous conversations going on during the few get-togethers she had participated in, never really being included in the discussions until someone just happened to realize she was still there.

"So, my dear, I wanted to ask you something, but wasn't sure when best to approach it." Lilith's voice caught her attention, and Black Rock Shooter's gaze lifted away from her food. "I'm rather curious about your name itself, is there a story behind it?"

Black Rock Shooter nodded, but in the back of her mind, knew to finish chewing her current piece of steak before continuing the conversation, so she did such, then gently lowered her utensils to begin signing her reply.

[ _My father named me Black Rock, since I had inherited his scales when I was born, and my mother's surname was Shooter, so I was given that by default. My father, obviously, is a dragon, specifically a species known as an Obsidian Stalker, named after their black, stone-like scales and their sleek, agile shape._ ]

"An Obsidian Stalker? He must've been one of the last in the region, there hasn't been many seen in the past thirty or forty years, as far as I know. If I may be bold, even the fact he's a Stalker species as well is more reason to be amazed, since smaller dragons like Stalkers are more prone to poaching compared to say, a Great Wyrm or Eastern Serpent species." Julius was clearly intrigued by the revelation of her father.

"My, if possible, I would greatly wish to meet your father someday." Lilith smiled slightly, then added. "And your mother too."

[ _She died a few years ago. Cancer that was detected too late even for healing magic to save her in time._ ] Black Rock Shooter shook her head as she signed, but then added more after a sip of wine. [ _My father is still alive, but because of how rare his species is, he doesn't visit the city at all, by personal choice. His den is a few miles from the lake, in the hills._ ]

"Well, someday, I would love to meet him. Might I ask his name?" Lilith queried.

[ _He had no name until he met my mother, she named him Emerald, since, unlike me, he has green eyes. You could almost say she tamed him, kinda like what I can do with the creatures in the woods... and at the animal shelter._ ]

"An amazing feat, in and of itself, for certain." Lilith nodded, very impressed.

After the conversation died down, they went back to eating, and by the time they had finished both the wine and the food, Black Rock Shooter almost found herself picking up her utensils and plate out of pure habit, to begin cleaning up after herself, but in doing so, she immediately noticed that Julius and Lilith were smiling at her.

"It's okay, you don't have to do that here. We have staff that will take care of the dishes. Would you care to join us for a bit before bed?" Julius asked, watching as she returned the plate in her hands to the table so that she could reply.

[ _What are you planning to do?_ ]

"Well, typically after we eat, we spend the rest of our evening relaxing, and how we go about that varies with each day. Things such as reading, watching a movie or a show we enjoy. Julius sometimes researches his magic, I call my mother if she's available. From dinner to bedtime is our mutual downtime, and you're more than welcome to join either of us, if you so wish." Lilith explained.

[ _I'd like to spend some time with both of you tonight, if that's alright._ ] Black Rock Shooter glanced back and forth between them as she signed, and of course they smiled and nodded.

"Hmmm... I think we could find a movie or a show to watch on Netflix, would you enjoy that, my dear?" Julius suggested, and both ladies nodded in agreement. "Right this way."


	4. Chapter 4

Several episodes of a drama TV series later, Black Rock Shooter was beginning to nod off on the couch, and they called it quits for the night, helping her up to the bedroom they had prepared for her, and bade her goodnight. She was so tired that the best, most complex thing she managed to accomplish was to wrestle herself out of her hoodie, leaving her still in her pants and her camisole, and the last thing she could remember was unfurling her wings and collapsing face down into the large bed.

* * *

The sounds of birds accompanied the sounds of her breathing in the room, too distant for her to detect through the haze of sleep.

She had remained face down since she had become horizontal, her large leathery wings acting like her own blanket, and easily covered her entire body, spreading out across the entire surface of the bed, and even hung off the edge.

A gentle knock on the bedroom sounded, but didn't garner any response from her, so after a brief pause, there was a second knock, accompanied by the sound of Lilith's voice calling through the door. "Sweetie? Are you awake?"

Again, no response came, so Lilith slowly opened the door and peered through the gap to at least check on her, and actually paused for a moment to realize that the black leather-like expanse covering the disheveled black hair of her new girlfriend was _not_ in fact a blanket, since she hadn't brought a backpack with her... Those were her wings.

Considering her options, and the possible consequences of said options, Lilith's ears perked up as she detected the sound of Black Rock Shooter's breathing shift, and looked up to see her slowly pushing her upper body up off the bed, looking the other way out of the large bedroom windows.

"Morning, my dear." Lilith took a step inside, closing the door behind herself as Black Rock Shooter peered through her hair at her, still in the midst of waking up. It took Lilith a mere glance at Black Rock Shooter's upper back to spot the shoulder straps of her camisole, and another glance at the floor to find her hoodie laying within evident dropping distance of the bed's edge. With that, she put two and two together and let her mute girlfriend take in her surroundings for several silent seconds, then she seemed to nod to herself in understanding and crawled out from beneath her massive wings and sat on the edge of the bed.

[ _Good morning, Lilith_.]

"Did you sleep alright?"

[ _I don't remember... Sorry_.]

"No need to apologize for that, it's quite alright. Shall we go get some breakfast? I'm sure Julius will be done with his morning workout by the time we get to the dining hall." Lilith knew that Black Rock Shooter was quite drawn to Julius, so the mention of a work out clearly sparked something in her, judging by her snap to attention and the shrinking of her pupils into razor thin slits, then widened almost to full expanse as her cheeks turned pink where she had no scales.

[ _I just... need a minute_.] Black Rock Shooter nervously signed, trying to hide her reaction, despite knowing that Lilith had clearly seen it.

"I'll be just outside the door, unless you want any help."

[ _I just... need to calm down, I was just... overthinking your comment about Julius working out_.]

"Sweetie, you're his girlfriend now, and... if I may... you're not the first contractee we've had that thought the same thing during this first night visit. You are more than welcome to go down to the gym and stare to your heart's content." Lilith rested her fingertips to her cheek, supporting her raised arm at the elbow with her other hand, cradling her forearm against her torso, under her respectably large bust. "I mean, I speak from plenty of experience when I say that man shirtless is a sight to behold indeed."

Black Rock Shooter's face went even more red, but at the same time, her gaze had briefly been drawn to Lilith's chest, subtly emphasized, although quite unintentionally, by her arm placement.

[ _Where... is the gym?_ ]

Lilith couldn't help but smile. Being bisexual herself, she knew when a contractee was bi-curious, and she knew when one was strictly hetero, and especially when they were a lesbian. But she couldn't quite figure out Black Rock Shooter quite yet, although it was quite clear she was already drawn to Julius to a large degree.

"Right this way. I'll give you a moment to get dressed." Lilith nodded before stepping out of the bedroom and closed the door gently behind herself, musing that she'd just missed a chance to get just that little bit closer to her early in the game, so to say.

Within moments, Black Rock Shooter exited the room, now wearing her hoodie, and Lilith's keen eyes noted that the back of the hoodie visibly indicated that her wings could fold down quite extensively for their size. But, that also made her gaze travel down to the slightly baggy pants that she also wore, in the vain hope of finding evidence that she also had a tail, but found no indication of her sudden thought being proven.

Those pants will come off eventually... She thought to herself with sly amusement. Oh, and she had an idea on how to do it before Julius too.

* * *

As they approached the gym, Black Rock Shooter noticed Lilith's ears perking up as they walked, and a moment later, she detected the sound of movement from inside, and quickened her pace slightly, and entered the gym only to come to a full heel grinding halt as she was greeted with the sight of Julius - shirtless, and just glistening with a sheen of sweat - perfectly balanced in the air, completely horizontal, using his arms to support himself on some sort of gym equipment she didn't recognize.

And by all that is fire and brimstone, he was just... _sculpted_ with muscles in _all_ the right places.

A gentle Elven hand under her chin lifted her slack jaw back into place, bringing her back to reality as Julius noticed their arrival and slowly lowered himself into a standing position and resumed his footing, exhaling as he did so, his gaze focused entirely on Black Rock Shooter's face, the eye contact unwavering even as he retrieved a towel from where he hung it on another piece of equipment, all the while slowly approaching her, not saying a word, just letting her enjoy what she clearly came here for.

He stopped several paces away from her, and she gulped audibly, the first real sound they ever heard from her.

"Good morning."

Black Rock Shooter was slightly distracted, still staring at his chest before she remembered that he'd spoken, and quickly signed. [ _Good morning Julius_.]

"I take it you slept well?" Julius knew he was taunting her, but didn't bother taking a step in either direction, still letting her soak in the sight of his sculpted form. He worked out for several reasons. This was, in fact, one of them.

She nodded slightly, biting the corner of her lip, revealing the sharpened fangs she possessed.

"Should I put my shirt back on?" Julius smirked as he slowly reached for a nearby shirt, but Black Rock Shooter vehemently shook her head, taking a nervous step forward, glancing between his abs and his face as she slowly extended her hand, silently asking if she could touch him in the process. So he smiled and draped both the shirt and towel out of the way and let her approach, immediately placing her palms flat against his chest, awestruck by the sight and feel.

Every small movement Julius' breathing made changed the very landscape she was admiring from up close, and after several long moments, she gulped again and nervously withdrew her hands, stepping away after having her fill of oogling over Julius' muscle.

Black Rock Shooter clenched her fingers into a fist, but kept the back of her knuckles and the heel of her hand gently against Julius' abs, inhaling through her nose for a moment before removing the hand and taking a step back, nervously glancing at his face, still unwavering in their eye contact.

[ _My turn._ ] She signed, which finally got a reaction to appear on Julius' face. It was one of curiosity mixed with concern, but he watched her slowly unzipped her hoodie and relieved herself of it's embrace, and with it, simultaneously unfurled her wings a bit, showing them off to Julius, her face turning red from embarrassment.

" _Beautiful._ " Julius almost whispered, slowly tracing his gaze from wingtip to wingtip, but only had his eyes on her face itself when he uttered his compliment, earning an even brighter flush of red to cross her face when she realized he was talking directly to her, and not about her wings. She may be shy, but she knew a compliment when she heard one.

[ _Lilith saw them when I woke up. I thought... it would only be fair if you did too... I mean... since you..._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed, but Julius slowly held up one hand with a smile.

"You didn't have to... However, I greatly appreciate the gesture. Now, let's head up to get some breakfast, I'll just be a moment to get cleaned up. I'll meet you there." Julius glanced at Lilith with a small nod, and the two women left the gym and wandered back to the dining hall. Along the way, Black Rock Shooter shrugged her hoodie back on to cover her wings and joined Lilith at the table, with Julius joining them not even two minutes later, just as a servant stood at his shoulder to greet them.

"Good morning, sir. Ladies. What shall be prepared for breakfast this morning?"

Black Rock Shooter hesitated, unsure of what she wanted this morning. Her usual breakfasts were cereal and toast, when she remembered to even prepare it in the first place.

Julius noticed her gaze lingering off to the side, and after a moment concluded she was still thinking of what she wanted. He didn't pressure her, and let her take her time in deciding.

Lilith noticed the silent exchange between them, and unlike Julius' choice of distancing himself in that moment, she was more than willing to dote on her. "Sweetie, what do you usually eat for breakfast?"

[ _Nothing big, just cereal and toast... If I don't forget to make it in the first place._ ] Black Rock Shooter replied.

"How about we start with some tea or coffee, then decide in a bit?" Lilith asked, but Black Rock Shooter tilted her head to the side, clearly unsure.

[ _I don't quite understand... I get that you're insisting I eat, but why start with tea or coffee?_ ]

"It's not an uncommon choice to start the day with, even for us. Are you not a caffeine drinker?" Julius asked, just as another servant approached with a tray laden with a pair of steaming mugs, placing them before Lilith and Julius before turning to Black Rock Shooter with an expectant gaze.

"And for yourself, young lady? Would you care for some coffee or tea?"

[ _Coffee, please._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed without even stopping to consider if the servant understood sign language, but they simply nodded and gave an immediate reply.

"And how will it be prepared?"

[ _It's my first time drinking it, I'll leave it as is for this cup._ ] Black Rock Shooter replied.

"As you wish. I shall bring sugar and milk for your experimentation." The servant bowed and curtly spun on their heel to fulfill the request.

The exchange immediately drew Black Rock Shooter's gaze towards Julius, her expression a mixture of shock and amazement.

"For once, that was new to me as well. Lilith? Did you teach the homunculi sign language?" Julius turned to his wife, who nodded.

"Not all of them, but I managed to instill it into most of them last night, just for her."

[ _Thank you. Somehow I didn't even consider the chances of that person not knowing sign language._ ] Black Rock Shooter paused, blinking in confusion for a moment. [ _Wait... what are H.O.M.U.N.C.U.L.I?_ ]

"Magically created creatures, artificially alive, and often controlled by their creators. It's quite common amongst higher class mages, and almost a necessity at our level. All of the household servants are homunculi..." Lilith signed the word properly for her. "That I created over a decade ago when Julius and I were still engaged. Although, a normal one is just a mere flesh golem and dumber than a sack of rocks... but Drow techniques give them quite a degree of usable intelligence, and it's thanks to my mother's teaching that we even have a household staff. Otherwise we'd have been forced to hire workers instead of creating them from nothing."

[ _But... don't you pay them or something?_ ]

Lilith laughed, covering her hand with the back of her hand. "They're smart enough to understand our orders, and yours too, now that they can translate your sign language... but, they're not fully self aware to the point of questioning their existence, or think selfishly like asking for payment."

[ _So... you made them that way?_ ]

"Yes, that's exactly it."

[ _I think I get it now. And I've finally decided on my breakfast._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed to her partners, then turned her attention over to one of the servants, which, now that she had a good look at their faces, revealed that they were all genderless humans and elves. So, raising her hand the same way that Julius did to get their attention, one of them immediately spotted the gesture and approached, looking at her expectantly.

[ _Can I have buttered toast and a bowl of cereal, please?_ ]

"Certainly, young miss. Which cereal would you like? and, for your toast, on which bread?"

Oddly pleased that it had worked, she specified what she wanted, and the servant homunculus curtly bowed and left, just like the rest of them did, at the same time that the first one returned with her coffee request.

"Your coffee, young miss. Included is sugar and milk for your leisure. Enjoy."


	5. Chapter 5

After breakfast, Julius stepped away briefly to get changed out of his workout outfit he'd had on since the beginning of the meal, leaving Black Rock Shooter and Lilith to enjoy their caffeine experimentation.

Black Rock Shooter took to the beverage quite well, electing to add at least some sugar to the bitter drink, then after a few taste tests, added milk to round it off, much to the amusement of Lilith across from her.

"My my, that's quite the taste test." Lilith teased, earning a smile in return. "But, judging by the way you're already jittering, might I reccomend only one coffee per day, just to be safe?"

[ _I don't have any coffee at home anyway, so that's not a bad idea._ ] Black Rock Shooter nodded, her pupils slightly wider than usual for the lighting level around them.

"If you do get any, I would reccomend decaf." Lilith laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, like she always did when she would laugh. The musical, elven giggle so light and measured.

They let the joke hang in the air for a moment, with Lilith glancing in the direction that Julius had went, then her eyes narrowed as a small smile crept onto her face, along with a slight raising of her chin.

"If I know my husband as well as I think I do... he's going to come back here with a gift for you. A personal gift, I should add."

[ _I thought he already gave me my phone as a gift?_ ] Black Rock Shooter had heard the thoughtful tone in her voice and raised an eyebrow at the change of topic.

"That's for the contract itself, so we can communicate with you when you're away at work or at home. No... This is different..." Lilith shook her head slightly, then let out a small exhale through her nose as she considered her next words. "Well, now I'm the one at a loss for words to use... Hmm..."

[ _Take your time._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed without even thinking about it.

"Well, I should probably explain the contract we have... has been something Julius and I have been doing for almost ten years now. We've had a total of nine contractees, and each of them gave reason or necessity to modify the contract itself, our approaches and our rules to the whole thing. But, a mutual agreement prevents us from going into full detail about the previous partners, as it would breach their personal privacy. Any information we give you about them will, of course, be censored, or we'll have to refuse the questions. I'm sure you can understand the reasoning."

[ _I get it, yeah._ ]

"So, even back with the first signing, Julius would give the respective girls a particular gift during this exact morning you're currently in. My first gift, along the same lines, is less... simple. It's always customized to the individual girl, and yours will be the same. But..." Lilith smiled slightly. "Julius is quite predictable once you figure him out. And I know exactly what the gift is."

[ _I get the feeling you're not going to tell me what it is._ ] Black Rock Shooter smirked slightly, almost knowingly, as she signed her response.

At that moment, Julius' footsteps returned, and within moments he entered the dining hall and sat back down, now wearing his usual crisp black suit... and holding a medium sized felt-lined box in one hand.

"I have a gift for you, my dear." Julius smiled at her, gently placing the box in front of her. "But, there's a catch. You can't open it at the moment. Think of it as... a little game."

[ _I'm listening._ ] Black Rock Shooter hadn't reached for the box, but was quite clearly interested in what Julius was planning.

"For now, I'd like for you to take it home and put it somewhere you'll remember it. After work, for you and for me, I'll video call your cellphone and we can continue with this game, alright?"

[ _You're trying to make me think about it all day, aren't you?_ ] Black Rock Shooter felt an oddly excited shiver sneak up her spine at the idea. Clearly this was what Lilith had just been talking about, but somehow the lingering unknown nature of the box's contents was what was making the idea so interesting for her.

"No, that's completely unintended. One of the previous contractee's misplaced it, and didn't find it for two days. Sort of ruined the game, to be honest." Julius explained. "Now, the previous one to her actually tried to open it prematurely, and I have since taken to locking the box with my magic. Can I trust you this time around not to peek inside?"

[ _Yes. I promise to leave it closed until you call me._ ] Black Rock Shooter nodded in agreement, and Julius smiled slightly before placing one finger on the top of the box and it faintly clicked, clearly having used magic to remove the locking mechanism or whatever spell he had used in the first place.

"Now then, would you like a drive back home? If we leave shortly you'll have plenty of time to get ready for work." Julius checked his watch and glanced at Lilith, who was smirking knowingly at the box. She had been right, and Black Rock Shooter could tell she was enjoying her moment of smugness.

[ _Yes, please._ ] Black Rock Shooter nodded, then added. [ _Thank you._ ]

"It'd be my pleasure. Whenever you're ready, we'll depart." Julius patted the top of the gift box. "Don't forget this." He added with a smile.

* * *

After the drive back to her apartment, Julius walked her all the way to her door, and she surprised him by stretching herself up onto her toes to give him a quick kiss before almost scurrying into the door, leaving him smiling at the gesture before he left for work.

Inside, Black Rock Shooter let out a long, slow exhale through her nose, the heated air shimmering as it went. Once she was calmed down from her impulsive decision to kiss Julius like that, she retrieved the gift box from her hoodie pocket and glanced around her apartment for a spot to put it that she wouldn't forget about it. After several long minutes of indecision, she gave up and just tossed it onto her bed, where it lightly landed, in plain view, without an issue. She knew it would be opened later tonight, and felt absolutely zero temptation to open it. So she decided that a shower was the best way to spend her remaining hour and a half before she had to go to work for the day.

Minutes later, with the water cascading down her back and into the inner parts of her wings, and she let out a sigh, causing the hot air to billow the steam in front of her.

So far, just a day into the contract, she was already starting to favour Julius more than Lilith. It wasn't her intention for that to happen, but for some reason, Julius just made her feel more comfortable, and talking with him was just... natural. But Lilith was just so... loving, and gentle with her. She liked that, it made her feel wanted too, but how would she be able to share the two of them like this? She wasn't sure at the moment how things would play out either, and that was something to be nervous about, but at the same time, that unknown factor was also exciting for her too. Maybe this was what a strong relationship felt like?

It was by this point that she realized that the water had gone cold. Coming back to her senses, she hurriedly shut the water off and got out, wrapping herself in a towl and noticed that she'd been in the shower for almost a full hour, and she still had to get ready for work.

Letting out another sign, she set to getting prepared for the day, drying herself off by repeatedly taking in lungfuls of air and internally forcing them into her fire valve, the source of her fire breath and the reason her internal body temperature was around eighty degrees Celcius. That process caused her body to quickly begin heating up, thus drying herself off in record time, but came at the cost of requiring her to vent the air she had taken in at some point soon.

Thankfully, being able to fly on her own, she would typically let it all out in one big blast on her way to work, high in the city's airspace where air travel was sparse in general due to the buildings and lack of decent landing zones.

So, with a slight shimmer of steam still lingering off her body, she could feel that familiar pressure in her chest, she finished getting her uniform on, and with the new addition of her cell phone in her pocket, fully charged and ready for the day ahead.

Instead of heading downstairs, she went to the roof and unfurled her wings, still steaming in the mid-morning sun before she launched into the air, headed high into the air, letting loose her contained blast of bright cyan-blue flames, depressurizing her fire valve in quick order.

In her usual time she was landing in the empty parking lot, quickly furling her wings and adjusting her uniform over her back before she went inside to begin her shift.

The first thing she was greeted with upon entering was the plentiful green busom of Glasha, her Orc employee. The big girl herself was just about to flip the closed sign over to open when Black Rock Shooter opened the door and almost received a faceful of her prominent breasts on the way inside.

"Oh my gosh, Black! You startled me!" The big girl immediately took a step back, one hand covering her mouth in surprise, but she recovered quickly and flipped the sign around while she watched Black Rock Shooter sign her reply.

[ _Sorry, I just got here._ ]

"How was your night?" Glasha asked cheerily, practically prancing back to the front counter where Gunnar, a Lizardkin boy, was reading a book beside the cash register.

[ _I have something to share on that particular subject._ ] Black Rock Shooter signed as she moved out of the waiting room and into the back area behind the counter with Gunnar.

"Oh, this oughta be good..." Gunnar chuckled, bringing his full attention to his fellow reptilian. "Why do I get the feeling you got laid?"

[ _Not quite._ ] Black Rock Shooter shook her head as she clocked in at the wall beside him before continuing her signing. [ _I am in a relationship with Julius and Lilith Blackthorne... It's a bit new to me and all, but they call it a polyamorous relationship. I am their mutual girlfriend._ ]

"Don't let Doc Saki hear about that, you know her and gossip..." Gunnar shakes his head slightly, turning a page. "Do they care about your better half?"

[ _No, they actually seem to enjoy that I'm draconic. Lilith is half-Drow._ ] Black Rock Shooter replied. [ _So what do we have on the records to work with today?_ ]

Now in work mode, the topic of gossip ended, there were animals and tasks to attend to, and that ended the conversation for most of the day. It wasn't until about mid-afternoon that during a calm moment between customers that Black Rock Shooter's phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her just as Doctor Saki Crest, their kooky on-staff vet - and their boss - was passing behind her in her usual floaty way, being a Wood Elf that was as thin as a rake.

"Ooooh, new phone, eh?" She spun back not unlike a leaf getting caught by a crosswind and gracefully leaned over Black Rock Shooter's shoulder, her long fingers resting on her upper arms to see the device in her hand. "And who's this _Julius_ you're messaging?"

Black Rock Shooter held the phone against her chest, giving Doctor Saki a pouting expression before lowering the phone to sign to her. [ _One of my... partners._ ]

"Partners? What, like a _partner_ _partner_?" Doctor Saki arched an eyebrow, the gesture going along with her long, knife-like ears to twitch upwards at the same time - much longer than Lilith's ears, but they moved in the same manner - to denote her curiosity.

[ _That's all you're gonna get, I'm in a relationship now. That's it._ ] Black Rock Shooter slid the phone back into her pocket, waiting for her gossip-prone boss to walk away. Which she did, after a small chuckle and a pat on the dragon girl's shoulder. With that, she withdrew the phone again and tapped at the device to bring up the message from Julius.

 _Just wanted to check in, how are you?_

She started tapping out her reply, a small smile tugging at her lips. _Just on my break at the moment, an average day so far. How are you?_

 _I'm taking a late lunch break, had two meetings today, and a third afterwards. Has Lilith messaged you yet?_

 _Not yet. Should I be expecting her to?_

 _I would say yes, but that's depending on her schedule at the moment. If she's not sent one yet, she might be busy._

 _I'll keep an eye on my phone for her message._

 _Okay, thank you. I'll send you another message later after my meeting, talk to you then, my dear._

Black Rock Shooter's cheeks blazed with embarrassment with the sight of the 'my dear' he called her. It was so endearing, but felt so natural, it felt good to see it in text.

In that moment, Lilith sent a message, once again startling her, still unaccustomed to the device's vibration, which had remained idle during her responses to Julius since the message app was already open. But, the new message, being from outside that chat, revived the vibration right in her hand.

Swapping over to her, the message read. _Hey honey, you busy right now?_

 _Nope, on break. How are you?_

 _Working on your gift that I mentioned, I should be done tomorrow morning. How is work going?_

 _So far, an average day. My boss spotted Julius' message earlier and started getting gossipy._

 _Oh, I don't think we ever looked into your boss. Nosy type?_

 _Likes to know things around the shelter. Wood Elf, she's the vet on-staff, little ditzy, but she practices both magic and medicine, so she has her head on somewhat straight._

 _Sounds like most Wood Elves I've met, in all honesty. Mind if I take you on a date after work? I know Julius wants to play his little game with you at some point tonight, but I can let him know we're out for a bit._

 _Sure thing, where do I meet you?_

 _I'll come pick you up, I already know where the shelter is, your shift ends at six, right?_

 _Yeah, I should be out within a few minutes after that._

 _Excellent, see you then sweetie. Have a good afternoon at work._

 _See you then, Lilith._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Just wanted to clarify something pointed out to me by How-Not-To-Do-Something. Gunnar, the Lizardkin cashier for the animal shelter, is best envisioned to be like an Argonian from The Elder Scrolls.**

* * *

With the last few minutes ticking away, Black Rock Shooter was cleaning the canine kennels when she felt a gentle hand tracing along her upper back near her neck and immediately whipped around, expecting Doctor Saki - who was known to get touchy sometimes whenever she walked by - but came face to face with Lilith, dressed in a business-like outfit, similar to Julius' suits, but lacked a jacket. Still, the top buttons were open to accommodate her generous bust.

"Hey sweetie, almost done?"

[ _Almost. Just need to clock out_.]

"Want me to wait in the front?"

[ _It's fine. How did you get back here?_ ]

"Julius may have the title of High Mage, but we're equal in power. There's a variety of ways to get in here, but I honestly just spoke to your boss and asked where you were. She let me back here." Lilith smiled slightly.

Black Rock Shooter couldn't argue that one, and finished up her tasks, she clocked out with Lilith wandering idly behind her during the process, and together they left the building to find hers and Julius' car, or at least a second one of the same model, waiting in one of the parking spaces.

[ _Do both you and Julius drive the same car? Or do you have two of them?_ ]

"We have two. Same model, same colour." Lilith replied, unlocking the car with an electronic beep and the click of the lock as they approached. "Care to join me in the front seat?" She added with a teasing tone.

Black Rock Shooter shrugged, climbing into the passenger seat alonside her and fastened her seatbelt, and Lilith did the same, putting the car into gear before driving out of the parking lot and smoothly joined the flow of traffic.

"So, movie? Dinner? Anything coming to mind to do first this evening?" Lilith asked.

[ _Dinner first, please_.] Black Rock Shooter signed, knowing she had only eaten a modest lunch earlier in the day during her lunch break in the early afternoon.

* * *

After eating, Lilith glanced over at Black Rock Shooter in the car, noticing that her little dragon was in much better spirits now that she'd gotten something to eat after a long day at work.

"So... shall we go have some fun for a bit?" Lilith asked, having noticed a particular movie on a billboard while she was driving.

[ _Such as?_ ]

"Well, for a first date, how about a movie? I'm sure you have some sort of movies you enjoy, hm?"

[ _You saw the billboard too, didn't you?_ ] Black Rock Shooter signed with a smirk.

"Well, shall we go see it? I've seen the first one, admittedly, but I'm sure it's on Netflix by now. We can watch it anytime to catch up on it."

[ _Sure, sounds like fun_.]

With the plans for their evening set, Lilith drove right to the movie theater, parked, and they joined the line of movie-goers for the evening. When they got to the ticket booth, Lilith held up two fingers and said. "Yuki-Onna, please."

The tickets were swiftly paid for and handed over, and the two of them were on into the next line, the concession counter, behind which sat a very bored looking human boy.

Upon catching sight of Lilith, his eyes went wide with surprise as she seemed to just glide towards him, but in particular his eyes were glued to her generous chest for a moment before he practically jumped to attention to receive their snack orders.

"Popcorn?" Lilith turned to Black Rock Shooter, who nodded in reply. "Two popcorns, please."

The boy couldn't finish the request quick enough without utterly failing at it, placing the two bags of popcorn on the counter and accepted the payment before the two of them left, and he got quite the view of Lilith's backside as she left with Black Rock Shooter right by her side, cradling her bag of popcorn as they went.

After getting settled in the back section of the theater's seats, in the darker corner away from the enterance, idly watching the preview advertisements as the theater slowly filled with other patrons.

"Hey, sweetie, can I... ask you something?" Lilith whispered into her ear, to which Black Rock Shooter nodded in reply. "Do you... have a tail?"

Black Rock Shooter nodded, then tapped her right thigh with her free hand.

"I know your hand is occupied, but I have to guess you mean it's wrapped around your leg, right?" Lilith glanced at her leg to clarify the question, and she immediately saw the pant leg shift, quite intentionally. "Ah, well, there it is."

Resting the popcorn bag between her knees, Black Rock Shooter signed. [ _It's usually around my leg, about three feet long._ ]

"I assumed that would've been the case, I just thought I should ask." Lilith smiled, pleased she had been right all along. But, before they could continue any further, the movie previews stopped, and the lights dimmed, signalling the start of the movie.

* * *

For the most part, it was an action movie. The second in the series, in fact. But, mixed in were more than one sex scene involving the main character, Yuuki. And by all that was fire and brimstone, she was _gorgeous_!

Black Rock Shooter could feel herself oogling all over the well endowed girl's body even when she had her clothes on, mesmerized by her appearance so deeply that it took her until the second sex scene to realize just how stuffy she felt, clearly aroused...

A sudden wave of pleasure caught her by surprise, and immediately looked away from the screen - showing Yuuki talking to her father, Tobias - to find that Lilith had managed to sneak her hand down the front of her pants and was clearly teasing her through her panties, especially during the sex scenes it seemed.

It felt far too good to make her stop, and she was clearly focused on the movie more than her absent minded fondling, so she tried to keep her breathing steady to focus on the remainder of the movie, all throughout which Lilith kept up her teasing all the way until the credits finally began to roll, and in the commotion for everyone getting up to depart, removed her hand and gave no indication to anyone around them that she'd been doing anything risque.

Black Rock Shooter on the other hand, was shoving the last of her popcorn into her mouth as a means to buy just a moment of time to allow herself to come back down from the high of the finger teasing she'd accepted from Lilith. It was by now that she realized why Lilith wanted them to sit so far at the back of the theater... She'd done this before, with previous contractee's.

Even with her lazy, unfocused fingering, it felt far too good to ignore, and if she even had a voice, she knew she'd have gotten them caught in an instant. She'd been breathing hard from the moment she'd begun to notice it, and tried to hide it with the popcorn as much as possible.

"Are you alright?" Lilith asked once they'd returned to the car and gotten in. She could see the thoughtfulness in Black Rock Shooter's eyes the entire time they were leaving the theater, and wondered if she had gone too far with the touching.

[ _That... felt really good, but I wasn't focused on the movie for the second half. Could we maybe watch it on Netflix another time? Maybe with Julius too?_ ]

"Of course we can. And I'm sorry about that, I've... done that with a few of the contractees in the past, if I went too far..." Lilith began, her tone apologetic, but Black Rock Shooter shook her head.

[ _I liked it. It was exciting trying not to move or make a scene, and trying not to get caught by anyone in there._ ]

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed that, and maybe next time we can... take things a bit further, hm?" Lilith teased the last part with a little smile before putting the car into gear and drove her home in a mutual silence.

Just like Julius, Lilith walked Black Rock Shooter all the way to her door, and gave her a kiss on the cheek before departing once she had closed the door to her apartment.

Inside, Black Rock Shooter retrieved her cellphone from her pocket and idly considered taking the initative to video call Julius first. He'd promised he would, and she didn't think he would go back on his word, so she let out a long exhale through her nose and wandered to her bedroom to await his call.

She didn't have to wait long. Within a few minutes, her phone started ringing with a video call prompt, and she immediately accepted it, coming face to face with Julius on the screen, already smiling at the sight of her. Inwardly, she was impressed by how crystal clear the image quality was for the phone.

"Good evening, my dear."

She waved at him with her free hand, then held up on finger, whils simultaneously extracting her coiled tail from around her leg, letting it rise out from around her hip to take over holding the phone, which allowed her to use both hands with ease. Of course, she kept the phone directed at herself as she signed her reply.

[ _Hello Julius._ ]

"How are you since I messaged you earlier today? Lilith told me you two went to see a movie." Julius asked, having noticed the flicker of movement from her tail, and concluded that was what she was doing to hold the phone now.

[ _We went to see Yuki-Onna, it was really good while I was watching it... Lilith and I... weren't exactly paying much attention to it._ ] Black Rock Shooter replied. [ _So what's the game you were planning with the box from this morning?_ ]

"Well... If you're willing to hear me out first, we can get to that immediately after. Will you allow me to explain before we open it?" Julius asked. She nodded in reply. "Alright, do you know the acronym BDSM?"

Black Rock Shooter shook her head.

"Well, that's going to add more to my explanation." Julius nodded his head in understanding before he continued. "BDSM stands for Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism. It is a sexual practice that revolves around a variety of criteria. Does that make sense so far?"

[ _It makes sense to me, yes. So do you like this BDSM stuff_?] Black Rock Shooter signed, her expression curious.

Julius nodded. "Yes, I do. And, I've practiced it ever since the first contract was signed."

[ _So... you want me to do it too_?]

"No, I'd like you to _try_ it, I am not forcing it upon you in any form. It is your choice, from the start, to any point you decide, to participate in it with me, or even with Lilith, if she wants to try it with you too."

[ _I don't understand... If I choose to do it, that's fine, but I can just... stop whenever I want?_ ]

"That's correct. You do know what consent means, right?"

[ _I think so. Isn't it agreeing to do something for someone else?_ ]

"Not quite, but close. It's you giving permission for things to occur. It's not just for sexual context, but also for legal, and even interpersonal contexts too. If you wish to allow something, then you have the right to choose at any time how you want things to occur. And that goes beyond our contract, I should add."

[ _So how does this apply to sex?_ ]

"Well, BDSM... pushes the boundaries that a couple are normally comfortable performing. Some common examples include restraints, such as handcuffs, blindfolds, and other inhibitors. The use of physical pain, such as spanking, controlled physical force, and temperature manipulations."

[ _I think I understand the concept. So what's in the box?_ ] Black Rock Shooter wandered over to her bed and retrieved the box, bringing it into view of the phone.

"Not quite yet. I still wish to go over a few details with you first." Julius shook his head slightly before continuing. "First, I need to ask... do you want to try participating in acts of BDSM with me, at any point in our relationship? Yes, I am asking for your consent, which you can revoke at any time you want."

[ _Yes, I consent to trying it._ ] Black Rock Shooter nodded her head firmly, finding the idea of trying alternative sex acts with Julius quite exciting, just like when Lilith fingered her during the movie earlier. [ _What else is there to discuss?_ ]

"Since you are mute, things are slightly more complicated. Because a normal aspect of BDSM is the use of something called a 'safe word' which the partners agree on ahead of time, or, like we are now, at the very beginning. Normally, the use of this specific word will end any and all acts on the spot, for any reason. If it's uncomfortable, or you do not like the act, if you are nervous, any reason would warrant the use of the word to end things."

[ _Well... I'm not... completely mute._ ] Black Rock Shooter haltingly signed, averting her gaze to the side for a moment. [ _I can... make dragon sounds... Growling, snarling, stuff like that. And, I can still breathe my fire too._ ]

"Hmmm..." Julius considered the news of her vocal capabilities. "For now, we'll use your fire as a default until we can come up with something concrete to use otherwise. And, I will of course accommodate by leaving your hands free to sign to me at any time. Of course, we can alter things at your discretion."

[ _That works for me. Now can we proceed with the box? The suspense is getting to me._ ] Black Rock Shooter knew she had promised she wouldn't open it until he said to do so, and after the masturbation with Lilith, she was quite hot under the collar in general, and the sexually charged conversation was not helping in the slightest.

"One last thing, alright?" Julius smiled at her obvious excitement. "Can you promise me that you won't share this with anyone other than myself and Lilith? I assure you, I do not divulge anything either."

[ _I promise. This is between you and me._ ]

"Thank you, now... Open it, and I'll explain what we're gonna do for your first taste of BDSM."

Finally given the permission she wanted, Black Rock Shooter lifted the lid immediately and was greeted by four differently shaped, short cylindrical objects held in cutout slots in a foam layer, and, in the middle of them, sat a large sapphire set into a gleaming gold base.

"These are known as butt-plugs. As the name suggests, they are inserted into the anus. The large jeweled object in the center is the baseplate, which is what is both a means to remove an inserted plug, as well as the part that protrudes from your body when in use." Julius explained. "For now, let's start with the aluminum one, the upper left in the case."

[ _Just connect it to the base?_ ] Black Rock Shooter signed before removing the baseplate and turning it over to find it was a screw-on style connection... meaning she would need both hands to do it.

"I am aware it requires two hands, just twist it onto the baseplate, and we can proceed from there." Julius smiled slightly, nodding his head for her question.

Extracting the metal plug from the slot in the box, she idly noted the other three were made respectively of rubber, glass and gold. The concept of the golden one intrigued her conceptually if it weren't for the differently shaped design than the aluminum one in her hand.

Once she had it combined with the baseplate, she noted that the short, straight design of the aluminum plug was shaped like a woodworking nail when combined with the golden baseplate, and the colour contrast of the blue and gold with the silvery metal was interesting, to say the least.

"Now, it's your choice whether you want to use it now, or later. If you do want instructions, let me know and I can explain how to use them." Julius spoke up, breaking her from her slight reverie about the aesthetics of the buttplug in her grasp. She sat on her bed and place it on her lap, keeping her phone aimed at herself to sign her reply.

[ _So, if I said I wanted to use it now, how would we proceed with this?_ ]

"Well, would you like to use it now?" Julius asked, clarifying what she meant.

Black Rock Shooter's cheeks went pink, then she nodded, quite clearly and firmly.

[ _I am... getting excited with the idea. I want to try it._ ]

"Alright, first, you should be informed about what enchantments I added to all of them." Julius began with a reassuring smile at her. "Firstly, they are self cleaning, so you can just take them out, use them, and return them to the case without worrying about them getting dirty. Rather straightforward, in all honesty." He smirked slightly. "Second, the plugs are also prepared to be self-lubricating, as to allow for much easier insertion and withdrawl. Not to the point where it will fall out, mind you. Just saves you the time and energy of preparing them for use. And, later on, if you're more comfortable with the use of the plugs as a whole, I have a few other ones that have enchantments on them that add special effects. We'll get to those ones in due time, whenever you're comfortable with these four first."

[ _So just... insert it? That's all I have to do?_ ] Black Rock Shooter glanced between her phone and the aluminum plug on her lap.

"Well, yes and no. I would like to point out you're still inserting it into your body, and should at least prepare for such a task." Julius tilted his head to the side in thought. "And, if you'd like to keep it discrete, I can end the call if you wish for that."

[ _No, I want you... to see me use it_.] Black Rock Shooter shook her head as he said that last part, signing her reply immediately.

"Of course, take your time. I won't rush you." Julius smiled slightly, which gave her just that extra bit of encouragement she needed as she undid the button and zipper of her pants and set the buttplug to the side before pulling her pants off, exposing her black scales, larger and sturdier than the ones on the backs of her hands, but still distinctly femininely shaped overall. Underneath the ever present baggy pants was surprisingly cute blue panties.

Black Rock Shooter took a steadying breath, centering herself for the task at hand. She said she would do it, and that she would do. So, she kicked her pants off her ankles, tucked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs, where they swiftly joined her pants on the floor.

Julius hadn't taken his eyes off her own, seemingly ignoring her lower half - in what she assumed was respect, but could also simply be camera placement between their respective phones too - as she rolled her hips back to expose herself to better access her rectum.

With a small huff of hot air from her nose, she grasped the aluminum butt-plug and gently guided it down to her slit, caressing the tip against her vulva on the way down to the intended destination.

The entire time, her tail was quivering slightly, still grasping her phone, as she was clearly getting aroused by her actions as she slowly inserted the butt-plug into her ass, feeling the muscles attempt to resist with each forward movement, her fingers join her tail as they shook with the waves of pleasure riding up her spine. She could feel her pulse quickening with each attempted press deeper into her body until a final sense of fullness and tightness matched the lack of any further progress.

It was all the way in.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: My apologies for the slow uploads, I have had major writers block for several weeks now. Only been able to write a paragraph or two at a time, as infrequently as I've been able to peck at them.**

* * *

Black Rock Shooter slowly opened her eyes, finding herself face down on her bed with her wings hanging limply like she always did when she slept, forming her own blanket. She blinked for a few seconds and rubbed her knuckle into each eye to try and clear the sleep from them as she slowly lifted her torso off the mattress with her other forearm, likewise twisting her body around until she was properly upright in a sitting position, realizing very suddenly that there was something where there shouldn't be something...

Despite being a notoriously slow-to-wake species, she almost bolted out of bed in panic, and would have if her phone didn't thump to the floor and the memories of last night came flashing back to her mind. The video call, the conversation about BDSM, the buttplug still firmly lodged in her ass, her putting on a show by masturbating for Julius during the call... It all rushed back to her, and she panted for breath for a moment before realizing that after at least several hours in her body, the metallic buttplug wasn't painful, nor even uncomfortable. It just felt... new.

Grasping both of her ass cheeks, she turned on her toes, moved her tail aside, and peered over her shoulder at the mirror on the back of her bedroom door, greeted by the gleaming, deep blue sapphire ringed by a visible ridge of the gold baseplate, firmly placed below her tail and between her ass cheeks.

Releasing her hold on her backside, Black Rock Shooter took a few seconds to relax her whole body, taking in her natural sixth sense, and realized something potentially... _exciting_...

Only Julius knew she even possessed the plugs in the first place. Let alone the fact she was presently _using_ one...

A sly smile inched onto her face as she peered over her shoulder again at the well concealed sex toy she was using. Nobody knew... and nobody would find out either...

* * *

Most the morning at work was spent just getting pets and non-human creatures prepared for appointments with Doctor Saki, who was floating around the shelter checking on everyone and everything that crossed her path. Just as the noon hour approached, her path was crossed by Black Rock Shooter on her way to the break room to eat lunch.

With a gentle caress, Doctor Saki's long Elven digits slid along Black Rock Shooter's spine, sending a shiver up and down her back at the touch, only to seemingly nestle the reaction in the base of her tail, right at the spot where her buttplug was inserted, to which she minutely tensed at the touch and turned her head to stare at her boss with narrowed pupils.

[ _Is there something you need?_ ] She signed right away, and her boss' lazy gaze watched the hand movements with her own hand still hanging in the air towards the spot where Black Rock Shooter's spine had just been occupying.

"I can't help but notice there's something different about you today... You didn't get laid last night, did you?" Doctor Saki tilted her head slightly to the side as she spoke, her utterly relaxed expression seemed to be scrutinizing her without shifting the expression itself. "Was it that... what was his name again... Julius?"

Black Rock Shooter shook her head, unwilling to go into any details of her relationship with her boss. [ _Nothing happened last night. Now is there something you needed before I take my lunch break?_ ] She signed in reply, but internally was thinking over her day so far to figure out if she ever gave away hints of her buttplug to her fellow staff members. She didn't wince or tense unusually, and she certainly wasn't toying with it, and sitting down was practically unheard of for her at the shelter, due to her job's parameters, unlike Gunnar or Doctor Saki.

"No, I was just checking on you since it feels like something's different about you today. Are you alright?"

She nodded in reply.

"Right, I've been informed we have a rowdy horse coming in, might need you to eat quickly in case he causes a stir on arrival, use your natural talents to get him settled properly so I can have a look at him."

Black Rock Shooter nodded, since by official position, she was the shelter's on-site animal handler, but without animals to take care of, she took the role of a general labourer to maintain the job.

They separated at that point, with Doctor Saki floating away down the hall, and she herself entering the break room to eat her lunch.

As she ate, she couldn't help but realize that for being on her feet all morning she wasn't perfectly accustomed to her new toy, and was acutely aware of it's presense between her asscheeks while she was finally able to sit down. Much that she couldn't quite sit perfectly still for the first few minutes until the added pressure of being seated directly onto the plug had finally subsided to a more dulled reminder of what she was doing with it.

Regardless, it felt amazing. The excitement of nobody else knowing, coupled with the insertion itself was thrilling, and she definitely felt herself to be in a good mood because of it.

With the last few scraps of her food in hand, Black Rock Shooter wandered out of the break room, munching on the last pieces as the sounds of the back entrance opening reached her ears, signalling the arrival of the horse and their owner. She was needed on deck, and shoved the handful straight into her mouth, chewing and swiftly swallowed it by the time she entered the room to come face to face with the bridled horse, a tall proud stallion that was stamping his hooves and clearly not at all pleased by the current circumstances it was in.

Doctor Saki was already waiting with a human that she assumed was the owner or handler assigned to the delivery.

"Th' heck is she doin' 'ere? I was told youse would be bringin' in some sorta tamer nonsense to git 'im to calm down and such." The human stared at her warily at her silent approach. "Not some lizard thang wit' a girl's face whiter than a ghost."

"She _is_ the tamer, my dear, _dense_ human. And she's not some 'lizard thing' as you so claim either. She is a _dragon_ , and she demands your respect, otherwise you can take your employer's horse home and tell her why she was still billed without service. Mind your tongue, or lose it next you choose to speak ill of my staff. Are we clear?" In a surprisingly sharp clarity for the usually carefree, floaty tone she used when speaking, Doctor Saki leveled her otherwise unchanged, borderlining on perpetually stoner-levels of chill expression onto the human beside the horse that was growing more agitated by the second. "Black, sweetie, do your thing. If he tries anything, scare the horse into a panic."

With slow strides, Black Rock Shooter slowly approached the antsy horse, who was focusing solely on her, unsure, but unable to look away from her. Both of their gazes were unwavering from each other, his being widened and wary, hers being wide-pupiled and gentle.

When she was finally close enough, she slowly curled on hand into a fist and gently presented it before the horse's nose, allowing him to learn her scent. Despite predominantly being the scent of a predator, the horse could smell her human side, the hint of which was the only reason he didn't immediately start bucking in panic at the scent of an instinctively feared beast before his very nose.

Deep beneath his unease, the horse felt a need to learn more of this dragon-scented human, and for a moment, just a moment, forgot all about the other angrier human holding it by a lead.

"Th' hell is..." The handler demanded, but a mere turn of Doctor Saki's gaze towards him silenced his comment, to prevent startling either the horse or Black Rock Shooter's surprisingly intimate staring, with one hand on the side of his muzzle.

The gentleness, the unwavering focus, and the silence, all together were putting the horse at ease, but it was evident to the human that this... dragongirl wasn't done yet, and clearly had more things he'd be billed for.

In their gazes, however, Black Rock Shooter and the horse had been conversting on an instinctive, body language level, and not even Doctor Saki would ever dream of learning what that was like. It was beautiful in its innate mystery, for sure.

And just like that, Black Rock Shooter slowly separated from the horse, who was now calm and in better spirits, as she turned to her boss and began signing.

[ _Early bloomer for mating season, isn't he their only horse? If that's the case, he's going to be like this for a while. I would recommend he be given a heightened exercise regime for the duration of mating season to vent the excess energy he has. Classic case of spring fever._ ]

"Cheers, my dear. Now then, human..." Doctor Saki returns her gaze back to the man. "Your horse has been calmed, you will be billed for services given. And you will be paying immediately, I expect?" The way that she spoke, neither angry nor calm, was laden with disapproval, almost... disappointment, as well as laced with the tendrils of a threat.

It was while the man was pursing his lips in suppressed anger that a buzzing noise came from Black Rock Shooter's pocket, but she ignored it, still watching the exchange with a slight smirk on her face.

"You're free to go, my dear. Might want to answer that message while you have the chance before anything else comes your way." Doctor Saki waved her fingers in a 'shoo' gesture. "I'll handle him and this gorgeous stallion."

Black Rock Shooter felt a slightly chuckle-like sensation coming from the horse beside them. She knew instinctively that it had understood the comment, and the compliment too, after having tapped into her mind for their connection. It was of course accompanied by a chuff aloud by the stallion.

But, with her expertise rendered, she turned on her heel and left, headed for the break room at least for the moment to answer her phone. Once she arrived she was quick to pull it out and bring up the message... from a number she didn't recognize?

After a moment of hesitation, she gulped aloud and opened the message...

 _To Lady Black Rock Shooter. Salutations, my name is Syndra Archanius, you might not know me directly, but I have been just informed that you are now romantically involved with my daughter, Lilith. I am already aware of the nature of the contract that she and her husband utilize, and would be most pleased to meet you in person later this evening. As I am sure you are presently busy with your employment, I await your reply patiently, and wish not to rush your decision making. If this evening is unavailable, I can reschedule at any time you would rather meet with me. We can discuss further details when you are available. Syndra._


	8. Chapter 8

[ _Do you have anything to do with this message from Lilith's mother?_ ] Black signed to Julius as she paced around her kitchen, her phone brandished in her tail and the camera aimed at herself.

She had screenshotted the message and sent it to Julius, hoping for some insight, but he was just as surprised by it as she was.

"By the sound of it, she and Lilith called each other since you signed the contract, my dear. Syndra's more than likely looking to meet you for herself, I don't think she's angered by your arrival at all."

[ _So what should I expect when I arrive to see her?_ ] Black asked, thinking his words over.

"More than likely, Lilith already gave her some pertinent details about you in preparation of the meet up. Most noteably your mutism and sign language."

[ _Can Lilith do that spell you used for learning sign for me?_ ]

"Yes, I do recall mentioning my title to you, but never went into further detail about it, did I?" Julius paused, waiting for her to show a sign of interest. "Lilith and I share the same amount of magical prowess and knowledge. I simply hold the title, in fact, she and I were challenging each other for the final testing to achieve the title. She and I were already a couple at that point, and one of the last exams was to duel each other. As you can guess, I won the duel, but to this day I know she fought fairly for the entirety."

[ _So it's a title? A symbol of prowess?_ ]

"It does come with a degree of political power, social status and business standing. Similar to earning a PHD, such as the dual-form one of medicine and magic that Doctor Saki holds." Julius explained. "I am also a businessman, I run a logistics company based here in the city."

[ _So it makes you famous?_ ]

"Yes, in simpler terms."

[ _So what about Lilith's mother?_ ]

"She's a renowned alchemist, and an established socialite." Julius replied with a small nod. "I've met her numerous times, I enjoy her company and insight. I certainly hope you will as well."

[ _I already sent her a message for a visit tonight, but why do I feel so nervous about it?_ ] Black bit her lip with the tip of one of her fangs, her gaze lingering on the box for her buttplugs laying on her bedside table. Should she remove her current one? Would Syndra even notice if she kept it in?

"My dear..." Julius' voice snapped her attention back to her phone screen, breaking her reverie immediately. "I can see it in your expression, you're overthinking it. What time did you and Syndra agree on for the meeting?"

[ _It's at 6:30._ ] Black signed the time with an accompanying glance past her phone at her wall clock. [ _I should probably start getting ready for it soon, shouldn't I?_ ]

"I would, yes. I'm not sure how you're getting there, personally, but I would presume you're being driven by an associate or a servant." Julius nodded slightly. "I'll still be available if you would like to call me after you're finished."

* * *

One drive outside the city later, Black found herself being escorted through yet another lavish home in the hills north of the forests she hunted in. And, the silent servant that had been leading her along curtly stopped at a single door along the corridor, turning to face her as the door silently opened.

She glanced at the stiffly stood servant for a moment, then noticed they were holding their right arm across their stomach to indicate she was to go inside without them. So without a word she entered to find a Drow woman seated at a tea table, waiting for her.

"Ah, you must be Miss Black Rock Shooter, daughter of Emerald, the Obsidian Stalker." Syndra spoke up with a glance as she slowly rose from her seat, drawing Black's gaze to her Elven features. She was a stunning replica of Lilith, save for her longer ears and much more lithe figure. "Please, have a seat. I've heard quite a bit about you from my own daughter."

For some reason, Black could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Something didn't feel right about this room. It wasn't Syndra herself... something else was involved. It felt achingly familiar too.

Despite her unease, part of her brain was draconic, and her better half's damn stubborn pride was in control as she sat across from Syndra and glanced around the room while the woman resumed her own seat with a stiff, upright pose before curtly crossing her legs and giving Black her full attention.

"So... Lilith speaks quite highly of you." Syndra's gracefully measured movements caught Black's attention. It was so rehearsed... precise... and seemed so... unnatural that it stood out to her sharp gaze.

[ _I take it she's also given you the means to understand my sign language too?_ ] Black signed, keeping her eyes on Syndra's face the entire time.

"She did, indeed." Syndra smiled slightly before sipping some of her tea. "There were a few things I was quite curious about, given what she described to me about you, my child."

[ _Please don't call me that. I understand you're much older than me, but that makes me very uncomfortable._ ] Without even thinking of what she was signing, Black scowled slightly and took in a deep breath through her nose, and realized she could smell two different perfumes at the same time. There was no way that Syndra was wearing two simultaneously... and she herself didn't wear any... so someone else was here, or had been here very recently...

"Ah, I see." Syndra lowered her teacup and very slightly turned it on the saucer to free her finger from the loop on the side. "Well, is it alright if I ask you a few things then?"

Black nodded very slightly, not bothering to sign just yet.

"Since I lack experience with dragon physiology, I was quite curious about your age, since to me... you appear to be incredibly young."

[ _I'm twenty three._ ]

"Ah, you're only ten years her junior. Well, at the very least you are of physical maturity, are you not?"

[ _I'm a hybrid. That changes things on both sides._ ] Black signed. [ _Humans physically mature around my current age, while my species of dragon reach physical maturity by fifty years old. So, legally, as a part human, I am well beyond the age of consent. But, as a dragon, I am still in the midst of the puberty process. Most notably, I still have not fully grown my horns, which is widely considered the first true sign of maturity for any draconic species, not just for Obsidian Stalkers._ ]

"Ah, I did notice them through your hair, yes." Syndra commented with a telltale glance directly at the small pointed peaks that graced the edge of Rock's hairline. "And as a young woman, you still have plenty of time to mature not just physically, but mentally and worldly as well. Are you by any chance interested in achieving higher education levels? Perhaps attempting the magical aptitude examination? If you are capable, of course."

[ _I am interested in post-secondary education, yes. But right now I am not in the position for it. I am also not interested in attempting the magical aptitude examinations since I cannot speak, so I am restricted from performing any form of vocal incantation._ ]

"Were you born mute?" Syndra asked, raising an eyebrow slightly as she asked the question.

[ _I never learned how to speak in general. I am more than capable of draconic vocalizations, as I use them while hunting and in moments of anger. I've taken to using my sign language because of the amount of time it would take me to even begin attempting to speak, let alone deciding on a language to use. I am, however, able to read and write in English, as it is the language most commonly spoken around the city. Besides, as you are more than aware, there are highly effective magical methods to immediately learn sign language for very little effort. I highly doubt someone unable or unwilling to learn sign doesn't figure out that I can also read and write just fine. So I am not as restricted in my communications as it might seem._ ]

"Well, that's quite intriguing." Syndra tilted her head slightly as Black finished signing her explanation. "I take it you're not willing to ask Julius or my daughter for assistance magically?"

[ _No, I am not._ ] Black replied with a slow shake of her head. [ _Just like with sign language, the act of speaking requires muscle memory, which is gained through years of repetition. Magic can't teach that, even I know that. The spell that Lilith gave you to translate what I'm signing is more than likely a translation only spell. It's visual. Sure, you can use sign yourself since you instinctively understand what each gesture means, but the act of using it as a primary method of communication isn't what it's intended for. Try going a full day using only sign language, and I can guarantee you will make more mistakes than you intend to._ ]

"I see your perspective on the matter." Syndra retrieved her teacup and took a sip before continuing her questions. "So, on the note of my daughter... May I ask you a question about her?"

Black's eyes were locked onto Syndra's face for a moment, and for the tiniest moment she spotted that Syndra was looking over her shoulder instead of directly at her like she'd been doing since her arrival. And she knew there was a mirror on the wall behind her, she had seen it out of the corner of her eye when she had entered the room.

[ _May I ask one first?_ ] Black signed, taking a slow inhale through her nose and catching another waft of that second scent of perfume. It smelled so familiar that she should've realized it sooner. [ _Which corner of the room is Lilith hiding in right now? I can smell her perfume underneath yours, and you've had your eyes on me this whole time until you mentioned Lilith just now. The gig is up._ ]

"My my, and here I thought that would actually work, my dear." Lilith sounded very amused as she shimmered into sight at the wall behind Syndra, smiling at Black's narrowed gaze aimed at her mother. "Mother, please, allow me to explain myself to her. You needn't leave."

[ _What is this about, Lilith?_ ] Black signed right away as Lilith sat at the last available seat, facing her.

"I voiced some concerns to my mother during a phone call about whether or not you were sexually interested in me as much as you are towards Julius, and she offered to speak to you about things. In her own way, of course. I didn't quite feel comfortable with the idea of her doing it this way, so I chose to remain unseen with the invisibility magic to witness things firsthand while also not interfering directly with your conversation. Clearly we both failed to take into account that your sense of smell is as strong as it is. The plan was for me to make my presense known after a few more particular questions that she was only just beginning to ease you into addressing when you called our bluff."

[ _So you jumped the gun and messaged me, despite Lilith feeling uncomfortable with the idea of this discussion?_ ] Black signed to Syndra, who nodded in reply.

"It was never my intention to make you feel uncomfortable at any point. And I clearly did, so I'd like to apologize to you in any way that I can." Syndra lowered her head slightly as she gave her apology.

[ _You don't have to. It's fine._ ] Black brushed it off, then turned her gaze back to Lilith. [ _Is there any more that needs to be said, or can we go now? I don't want to continue with the facade, and want to form a friendship with your mother naturally from here onward, if that's alright._ ]

"I understand, please, I'll drive you home." Lilith offered Black her hand, and together they stood up and turned to Syndra, who smiled and smoothly rose from her seat and offered her hand to Black to shake.

"I look forward to our next visit. You are welcome in my home at any time. And I wish you a safe drive home."

[ _Thank you, Syndra._ ]

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **This chapter was intended to play out slightly differently, but I couldn't bring myself to actually write out the intended course of action, which was for Syndra to get a bit too touchy-feely with Black Rock Shooter (henceforth shortened to Black in the story) and make her lash out with a blast of fire, which would simultaneously reveal that Lilith was watching the whole time. It was planned to cause a slight argument between Lilith and Syndra before Black smoothed things over, and thus ending the chapter. I chose against it, since I intend to use Syndra later again in the story, and wanted her to be shown in a better light. So I opted for Black noticing the smell of Lilith's perfume and figuring it all out on her own.**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: A typo in chapter one caught my eye that i am now unable to fix, is that Julius introduced himself as Julius Iron, but I have since been stating their surname is Blackthorne. To verify what the mistake is, is that Julius' middle name is Iron, and I failed to write Blackthorne in after it. My own mistake. And, Lilith's maiden surname was Archanus, the same as her mother's.**_

* * *

Four days had past since the meeting with Syndra. Black had been keeping busy with her job, of course, but she couldn't help but crave Lilith and Julius' company with each passing day. They had been in contact, everyday, of course, but the unintended gap between visits was giving her a slight edge.

"Black? Are you alright?"

With a sharp intake of air, Black was startled out of her reverie by Glasha's concerned tone breaking the silence of the break room, and she hastily straightened herself upright from her slouched over position at the table.

[ _Sorry, I zoned out._ ] Black quickly signed before standing up. [Is something wrong?]

"There's a customer asking for a tamer's input about their home's enclosure in their yard, I came to find you." Glasha explained, tapping the tips of her index fingers together, slightly off-put about startling Black like she did. "Sorry for scaring you like that..."

[ _It's fine, I'll be right behind you. Lead the way._ ]

In moments, they were greeted by the customer, who immediately caught Black's gaze as someone very similar to Julius. Healthy tanned skin, strong jawline, well kept appearance overall. A human male of the upper class.

"Ah, are you the tamer on staff?" He noticed her appearance within seconds, and turned his head and attention towards her.

[ _I am, yes._ ] Black signed, and right away the man raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"My apologies, but is she deaf?" He asked Glasha, who shook her head.

"Goodness, no! Black is mute, she can hear just fine. I can translate for you, if you would like, sir."

"Very well. Now, to business. I have an enclosure prepared for a new pet I'm in the process of getting licensed for owning, I was wondering if an experienced tamer could offer some insight into the design and parameters of the enclosure for me."

[ _I need to know what type of pet he's going to have first._ ] Black signed to Glasha, who nodded before turning to offer the translation.

"She needs to know exactly what type of pet you intend to place in the enclosure."

"A Greenback Drake. Male, still young." He replied.

[ _And how does he intend to show us the enclosure? I don't feel comfortable doing a housecall with him, Glasha._ ]

"How do you intend to show us the enclosure you've prepared for the Drake?" Glasha chose to omit the latter part of Black's sign language, rightly so, as she decided to be cautious.

"I have a Seeing Crystal prepared, I completely understand the necessity to see things in person whenever possible." He reached into his suit jacket and produced a small pink gemstone between his fingers and presented it to Black. "I take it this sort of magic is new to you, judging by the wariness on your face. Just hold it up to one eye and you'll see the enclosure through it as if you were standing in it yourself."

Black took the stone and did as instructed, peering keenly through the surface and was greeted by a wilderness that appeared stationary despite the movements of her hand to examine her surroundings in the area.

After several minutes of careful examination, she removed the stone from her gaze and returned it to the man before signing to Glasha. [ _I need to check one thing about Greenback Drakes, I'll be right back._ ]

"She just needs to verify something about the particular species of Drake you're going to have, she'll just be a moment." Glasha translated, and the man nodded without a word.

Black quickly went into the back of the shelter and went to the archive of books on the creatures that inhabited the continent, and went right for the section on Drakes, the lesser cousins to dragons.

After consulting the encyclopedia's detailing about Greenbacks, she concluded that the man's enclosure wasn't sufficiently sized and lacked key environmental features for such a large reptile species. Since Greenbacks, although native to the country, required a lot of water in their territory since they had a diet of mostly fish and meats from smaller prey. His enclosure had a small pond that even she herself wouldn't bother having a bath in during her hunting trips in the forests around the city.

Snapping the book closed with one hand, she returned with it tucked under her arm before handing it over to Glasha to begin signing to her.

[ _The enclosure is too small, needs a lot more water, Greenbacks are mostly fish and small game hunters, what he's designed is insufficient. Even I wouldn't have a bath in that tiny pond if I went hunting in there._ ]

Glasha clutched the encyclopedia to her chest as she turned to the man, and relayed the summary. "She's determined that the enclosure needs to be enlarged, as well as the amount of water in the enclosure needs to be enhanced as well. Greenback Drakes are fish and small game hunters, and rely on a large, well stocked water source for food."

"Very well, I shall rectify the design, and take in your declaration. Thank you."

He offered his hand to both of them to shake, and when he shook Black's hand, she locked eyes with him and felt a chill go up her spine. His gaze felt far too sinister for the situation.

* * *

After work, Black decided to spend the evening with her father. She hadn't been to visit him since meeting the Blackthorne's, and figured that the news she was in a relationship was news to share with him.

But, there was one detail she wasn't exactly willing to share with her father, and with a sigh of relief she removed her buttplug, since her habit of discarding all clothing during her trips to the forest was known to her father, so the sight of the large sapphire almost literally shoved up her ass would raise some questions.

Before she left though, Black decided to at least message Lilith and Julius that she wasn't going to be near her phone for several hours at the very least. Within a few minutes, they both gave affirmations, and Lilith even asked if she was going hunting, to which she replied yes.

"Then I wish you good hunting, my dear." The text made her blush, since it was the first time someone had ever said that for her going hunting.

And with that, she left her phone at her beside to charge, and made her way to the roof to fly off to the forests that she prowled to hunt.

Upon arrival at her usual landing spot, she made quick work in removing her clothing and hiding the hastily folded bundle into a hidden gap underneath the roots of a tree.

Now that she was free, she let out a groan as she stretched luxuriously before adopting a quadrupedal stance and made her way through her territory.

It took her a short time to adapt to the smells and sounds of the forest compared to the city, and in that time she purposefully ventured to a specific cave just on the edge of her territory...

"You're earlier than usual, my child."

The rumbling, baritone voice came through the darkness of the cave. In the black space loomed a pair of brilliantly green reptilian eyes, pushing forward until the great black visage of her father, Emerald, almost seemed to melt out of the darkness of the cave mouth as she relaxed at the sight of him above her.

His ram-like horns curled around either side of his head, scratched and marked from centuries of use, his scales, each as large as her head, were encrusted with battle scars of blade and claw from battles long past. Compared to her, he was the size of a city bus, with his wings folded by his sides as he finally emerged from the darkness of his home within the cave, sending out a localized tremor with each footfall.

With a small sideways tilt of his head and a steady staring into her eyes, their respectively piercing gazes stayed locked in the silence of the forest around them as an unseen spell rippled into life between them coming from Emerald's gaze.

"Good evening, father." The Telepathy spell took full effect, and the first thing Black said into her father's mind was to greet him.

"You seem excited by something, I take it you wish to share some news of life in the city with me? Come. Let us hunt in the meantime."

Falling into step alongside her father, prowling on all fours, they ventured off into the trees.

* * *

"Since she's occupied in the woods for the time being, I've begun to consider something... different." Julius spoke up to Lilith, who was still in the midst of messaging Black.

"Different how?" Lilith asked without looking up from her phone for a moment as another message dinged in from Black.

"We've been doing the contract for ten years now, and you and I both know that by now things would begin shifting, or questions would be raised. But Black's... different." Julius idly tapped at the screen of his phone, his gaze focused on his finger.

"Meaning?" Lilith lifted her own gaze to stare at her husband curiously.

"I mean she isn't taking to the contract the same way the rest of them have. And we both know how we feel about her, I'm starting to think that maybe we've finally found our girl. She isn't jumping onto us at the first chance she had, and I assure you we've both given her more than a few chances to do so. She's almost... treating this like a real relationship, which was what we've been seeking with this whole contract system."

"So what are you thinking?" Lilith slid her phone away, tilting her head to the side slightly, and her ears perking up with her interest.

"I don't really know just yet. It's too early to make any decisive moves yet." Julius shook his head slightly, still staring at his finger. "I think... for now we should wait to see how she handles things."

"I can work with that. We'll see how things play out from here... for now." Lilith tapped her cheek with her index finger, cradling her elbow with her other hand under her bust, a sly smile on her face.

* * *

By the time night had fallen, Emerald and Black had found themselves waiting in the darkness, with him laying down in the brush, and her situated on a tree above him, both lying in wait in silence.

Given her father's size, remaining stealthy as night fell earlier was nearly impossible, but now that they were stationary, their naturally black scales gave them a natural night camouflage. And they both knew it.

And so they waited for over an hour until a herd of late deer wandered into their established killbox, and the both lunged into action.

Emerald's longer reaching neck allowed him to snatch an entire deer into his jaws at the same time that Black got the drop onto her chosen target and viciously grappling with the panicked creature. She started tearing her claws and teeth into the sides of it's neck, coupled with her feet claws tearing at the rump, mixed with stubborn heel jabbing kicks to try and knock the deer off it's erratic panic fueled sprint.

The screaming of the creatures around her were of no concern to her, too focused on the taste of flesh and the scent of blood in her nostrils as she managed to get her hands around the creature's neck and viciously wrenched it to the side with a dull crunching of bones, snapping the deer's neck in a cry of pain and a thudding crash as she tumbled off the creature's back and landed a few feet away near a small pond or very large puddle of water.

With her kill claimed, she rose in a low bipedal stance, one hand still reaching slightly towards her father, who was nonchalantly feasting on his own deer. The rest of the herd had long since bolted to safety, and with that she shoved her claws into the dead deer's flank and started feasting. It was an unspoken agreement between them that when they hunted together, she ate what she could from her kill and left the rest to him. But the entire time they were having their telepathic discussion about her new relationship to the Blackthorne's.

"I understand very little of this 'polyamorous' relationship nonsense, but I at least understand that you're betrothed to them both. Then I bless your mating, and that you bear healthy offspring with the male, Julius."

"Our relationship hasn't reached that point yet, father." Black replied. "It will come with time, which you and I both know can change at any given moment."

"You speak of that... human boy from your education years, do you not?" Emerald questioned, which earned a flash of anger from his daughter in their telepathic link to each other. "Ah... you do."

He was of course referring to her first ever relationship, back in her high school years, with a human boy that eventually ended in bad terms and caused a large degree of bullying during the latter half of her high school career. She had since refused to get involved with any romantic relationship for the five years since then... until now.

"You already lived past that incident's consequences, you needn't dwell on the past like that anymore, let alone such a negative event itself." Emerald spoke sagely to his daughter, since in his perspective, she was still in the early stages of puperty, despite being old enough to be 'legally' considered an adult in the city, she was still incredibly young to him, and thus necessitated guidance and wisdom.

"Enough, father." Black actually turned to stare at him for that comment, chunks of flesh in each hand and halfway to her mouth, still heavily dripping with blood.

"I have said enough, indeed. You should dwell on those words, my child." Emerald replied, idly chewing on his own deer carcass without stopping, despite locking eyes with his nearby daughter, paused in her feasting to glare at him.

Before Black could offer any form of counter argument to her father's words, she felt a faint tremor, which the nearby water rippled in reply to. And immediately the two of them turned to face each other as they waited for the follow up rippling in the pond so they could determine direction at the very least.

The moment the second ripple came, it came from their front, in comparison to them both, but was immediately followed up by another, then more.

Whatever it was... was approaching. And fast.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Unintended hiatus, personal reasons, but what I will say is that I lost my writing touch in the process, and have been writing a temporary fanfic off and on, solely to get back into writing again. In doing so, I likewise carried over my newly revived methods into this story. Regardless, onwards to the story, I've said enough. Enjoy.**

* * *

The first thing Black did, entirely on instinct, was to slowly and quietly relocate herself between Emerald's front legs, as he in turn lowered his long neck overhead of her, protecting her with his own body as the sound of crashing trees and heavy footfalls of a very large beast approached.

Emerald was on alert, he could see the distant creature, it was bipedal and was carrying something long in one arm...

"Troll. Child, take to the skies and escape to the city. Now!" Emerald ordered with a vocal rumbling growl as they creature diverted it's course almost directly in line with his gaze.

It was incredibly ugly, like a bigger, slack-jawed Orc with greyish blue hide, but was covered in what looked like brush and branches. Clear evidence of it's path of wreckage through the trees, made even more evident by the large tree it had clearly used as a club.

Black's own gaze was locked onto the hulking shape of the troll, barely a hundred feet away, and Emerald's growling intensified as the beast locked eyes with him... and then looked down at her.

Emerald spotted the shift in it's gaze, and let out a roar, flashing out his wings in the process. The presence of his daughter in the line of danger changed things now. And especially so since she wasn't making any moves to escape either.

"Child! The city! _Go_!" Emerald ordered with a flash of anger in their link before bodily grabbing her around her torso and suddenly throwing her straight upwards.

It took her a few moments of her upward momentum to get herself righted and hovering above her father, about fifty feet high, watching as the troll let out a roar of it's own before attempting to throw the branch at her.

With a powerful downstroke of her wings, she shot straight upwards and out of the way, watching her father beginning to square up with the troll.

This was perhaps the first time her father and her had been directly threatened by something that stood it's ground up to this point without turning tail. And the troll was definitely out of her league, so the thought of leaving it to her father was to be expected, and she didn't want to just fly away like he wanted her to.

For now, she would stay out of reach, and was relatively safe since the troll had thrown the club, she also needn't worry about fire from her father harming her either, as she - as well as he was himself - was completely fireproof.

Below, the two of them were in the throes of establishing dominance, roaring at each other and trying to seem bigger. Emerald, of course, was the clear winner in the ' _I'm bigger than you_ ' contest.

But the troll was either too brave or too stupid to bother with backing down, and started to charge forward, lowering a shoulder into a ramming position as Emerald lowered himself slightly in preparation to counterattack.

"Child, fly higher since you still clearly wish to remain. I know you're still there." Emerald ordered as he lowered his head and matched the charging troll with his horns, the impact letting out a crash that rended the silence of the night.

They both began pushing each other around in a fierce grapple, the troll throwing punches wildly while Emerald likewise rose onto his hind legs to viciously slash into the troll with his front claws. The troll released the hold on her father's horns, clutching the lines torn into it's gut for a moment before removing the hand and letting out a refreshed roar as the claw marks started to seal themselves back together, stemming the flow of blood in moments.

"Father! Use your fire! Your claws and teeth will only meet the same result! It's regenerative!"

Emerald roared in angry reply to the challenging roar of the troll, lowering his head with a snuff of air from his nostrils - a hint of his impending blast of fire - before letting loose a jet of brilliant blue flames towards the troll, which didn't bother dodging, and became engulfed immediately, but began charging forward through the flames to tackle Emerald despite the lingering flames that coated it's body.

But Emerald took the attempt fully, driving his hind legs into the ground and dropping his head to get underneath the troll's center of gravity and flipped it over his back while simultaneously spinning himself around in a vague imitation of a humanoid's suplex to which the troll landed flat on it's back, staring up at Black's hovering position far above it.

With one charred hand reaching up to the smaller one it had sought in the first place, it's vision was filled almost entirely by the larger one it had fought, and a powerful weight landed on it's throat before it's vision went blue.

After Emerald had finished blasting the troll with point blank flames, it made sure it was really dead by crushing it's throat for over two minutes straight with one of his forelegs before calling Black back down to safety by his side. She landed cheekily atop his head and leaned over his horns to come eye to eye with him and smiled.

"Are you hurt?" She asked in the telepathic link, and he shook his head.

"I will be fine. You should have listened when I told you to escape in the first place."

"And how long of a battle would it have been had I not informed you of the regeneration?" Black countered with a sassy upside-down tilt of her head.

"That is of no consequence." Emerald snuffed loudly before trudging through the trees back to where he knew she always initially arrived in the forest.

"You're avoiding the question."

"And you've disobeyed me directly, so I think that we're on an even ground here, child."

"... Good point." Black admitted her defeat, this time, as they trudged back the way they had initially came from, so she righted her self back into a seated position just behind his horns and settled in for the walk.

* * *

By the time she reclaimed her clothing and flew in the direction of home, it was growing far too late for any hopes of a proper night of sleep, but thankfully it was her day off, so she didn't waste excess energy in rushing home, just flying at a lazy pace all the way there.

When she arrived, she didn't even bother undressing before just flopping onto her bed and passed out.

* * *

When she did finally awaken, it was easily mid-morning, with the sun streaming in through her window as she slowly got out of bed and idly wandered over to her phone to check for messages. Of course, there was two waiting for her, so she quickly tapped out her replies before discarding her clothing to have a shower and get ready for the day ahead.

After getting herself cleaned up, she was in the process of getting dressed when her phone started ringing to signal a video call from Julius.

Of course she wrapped the end of her tail around it and tapped the accept prompt, and was greeted by his smiling face, the mere sight of which immediately brightened her morning.

"Good morning."

She waved to him with one hand before signing her reply. [ _Good morning Julius. How are you?_ ]

"I am well, thank you. How about you?"

[ _I just had a shower, today's my day off._ ]

"Would you like to come for a visit today? I'm sure Lilith would be pleased by it as well."

Black couldn't hide her excitement at the idea as she nodded energetically. [ _I can be there within the hour, depending on winds and flight traffic._ ]

"I'll be waiting in the foyer for you. Have a safe flight."

With a wave, Black hung up and tossed her towel aside and set about getting dressed when a text came in on her phone. She stopped and stared at it, her instincts telling her that it wasn't Julius or Lilith. Something felt... off.

With a slow exhale of heated air, she retrieved her phone and was greeted by an unfamiliar local number. After a moment of resolve, she accepted the prompt and read the message from the unnamed number.

" _Are you that dragon girl?_ "

Black narrowed her eyes, and her pupils with it, are the question. It was too direct for her liking.

" _Who is asking?_ " She replied.

" _I am_."

" _And who are you?_ "

" _You should be more concerned by the fact that I have your phone number and know what you look like_."

" _You don't scare me, you just hide behind technology because you're a coward._ "

" _No, because calling you is useless you mute lizard. I can see you from here. Nice blue panties. Super cute._ "

Black glanced towards her bedroom window, knowing she was in plain view of it. But that meant whoever this person was had to be... the only place with a good view of her window.

" _You're right. I'm in the mood to get laid. I'll wear the black ones._ " She tapped out her sassy reply before peeling off her panties and swapping them for her only pair of what she considered 'sexy' panties. It blended in with her scales almost perfectly, so it gave the illusion she was naked. She then added. " _I know where you are, by the way. Left balcony, opposite building, fifth floor. If you're in the red lounger, I wouldn't be shocked._ "

" _Nah, leaning on the railing. Should've expected good eyes from a lizard bitch._ "

" _If you're done with texting me, just enjoy the view a bit more. I'm headed for the roof so I can go get laid._ "

" _Before you pocket your phone, mind if I ask why you have a giant blue rock shoved up your ass?_ "

" _Stalk me a little better and find out for yourself._ "

After a short delay, the last message appeared.

" _Oh, I will. You don't have to worry about that._ "


	11. Chapter 11

Black messaged ahead that she was on her way, and received a prompt reply from Lilith, "Julius is out at the moment, he had a call from an associate to attend to. I'm outside by the pool, if you'd care to join me."

Black didn't send her reply right away, still in flight. It was a beautiful day, so it wasn't surprising. But the though of Lilith in swimwear was the main cause of her distraction.

" _Yes, I will be flying in soon_."

When she came into vision range from her lofty position, she spotted a pair of bare grey-skinned legs extended from the concealment of an opened red umbrella.

Coming into a gradual dive, she glided across the length of the pool to smoothly land in an open area to the wave of a homunculus servant.

"Lady Black, shall I fetch you any refreshments?"

[ _Not yet, I'll ask later._ ] Black signed with a shake of her head.

"Of course, Ma'am. Miss Lilith is waiting for you."

With that, Black made her way over to Lilith, who was watching her approach with a smile on her face, laying on her back in a lounger. It took a moment for Black to take her eyes off of Lilith's designer swimsuit... and her body, of course, was much more of a distraction.

She was glistening, most likely from oil for her skin, basking in the sun. And, of course, her figure was even better than her attire and applications.

"Care to join me?" Lilith's voice cut through her blank staring. She had been watching Black's roaming gaze the whole time, subtly moving in a way that made her oiled skin positively gleam even further and deeper.

Black nodded and slowly sat on the next lounger, unsure how to lay back with her wings.

"Something wrong?"

[ _My wings. I don't usually lay on my back if I can help it. Even on something padded like this._ ]

"Is it uncomfortable when you do?" Lilith asked, genuinely curious, since, she and Julius both had plans for her in a... variety of physical alignments and positions.

[ _It'd be like... accidentally sitting on your hand. Or someone else sitting on it._ ]

"I see what you mean." Lilith nodded in understanding. "That does give me... an idea. I know Julius has his own ideas in mind, of course, but would you consider... doing something akin to endurance training to overcome such a sensitivity?"

Black felt a flutter in her chest, Lilith was leading the conversation towards sex, she could feel it. That same excitement she'd felt at the movie theater with her.

[ _Do you have something specific in mind?_ ]

"I do, actually. Would you care to participate in my little... experiment?" Lilith slowly sat upright, leaning slightly forward, her gaze lingering deeply in Black's gaze. "I mean, it's certainly a group project... after all."

[ _I'm interested, yes._ ] Rock signed, not resisting as Lilith inched closer and closer, putting one hand onto her hoodie hem. [ _Show me._ ]

"If you need me to stop, let me know, alright? Promise?" Lilith wasn't stopping her movements until she slowly arched a leg over the lounger. By that point, Black nodded, already halfway to Lilith's face above her to attempt a kiss, moving on instinct.

"Ah, not just yet, my dear. Something's in the way, gonna need to... address that." Lilith's hand easily found the zipper of her hoodie and pinched the metal. "May I?"

Black nodded, since at the moment, her hoodie was incredibly disheveled to allow her the use of her wings for flight, and she hadn't bothered to correct it. It was to be discarded in quick order.

"Now... you can kiss me. I'll get this off of you, just relax, we'll start slow."

Black was excited, for sure. Lilith was so close to her, and her heart was starting to quicken. She could see every glisten of oil, every eyelash, even her own blue eyes reflected in Lilith's red orbs.

The moment their lips touched, she felt a warmth pass over her, and a spark shot down her spine all the way to the end of her tail.

Lilith was keeping her pose over Black, but began subtly applying some gentle pressure onto Black's shoulder, hinting for her to lean backwards, doing so without separating their gentle, but highly impassioned kiss.

Black couldn't help arching her back in the process, pressing herself against Lilith's body, but the whole time allowed herself to be pressed against the padded back of the lounge chair.

The familiar sensation of putting any sort of pressure on her folded wings was immediately felt, and she briefly tensed at the growing contact on her back, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She came to get laid. And she was getting exactly what she wanted right now. A little pressure wasn't going to stop her now.

"That's it, good girl." Lilith pulled away for a moment to praise her, which sent an excited flutter into her chest. "Shall we continue as we are?"

Black nodded. She wasn't going to object, and she certainly wanted more. She immediately nudged her chin forward and kissed Lilith again, her hands snaking out to reach behind Lilith's back, pulling her closer.

"I thought so." Lilith smiled, already tracing one hand down the side of Black's ribs towards her hip. "Oh... We missed something..." She stopped at Black's baggy pants, but smirked. "Not that they're much of an issue..."

With a flick of her wrist and the fluttering of the fabric, Black's pants were whisked away in a single motion, landing on Lilith's vacated lounger to their side with unnerving precision.

"Oooh, what's this?" Lilith couldn't help but sound teasing as she noticed the surprise Black had been hiding. "No panties...?" Her caressing fingers paused as they reached the hidden hem. "Ah... Clever girl, Julius would love that trick."

Black smiled mischievously. She just might do that to Julius, indeed.

"As cute as they are, my dear, they're completely unnecessary right now." Lilith smirked once more as she held up her hand with the panties dangling off one finger. "Mmmm, I might have a lovely design you'll enjoy."

[ _Clothes can wait. We're a bit busy right now._ ] Black signed with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh, absolutely, my dear." Lilith agreed, tossing her panties towards the pants. "Let us continue as we mean on."

Black hummed in agreement, a surprise to Lilith that wasn't expected from the normally silent dragon. They quickly resumed their passionate kiss, both of them placing their hands onto each other's bodies, caressing fingers and open palms tracing along hips and thighs initially.

Within moments, however, Lilith noted a very distinctive rise in Black's body temperature. Her scales were heating up.

"Mmmm... now that feels amazing." Lilith purred, one hand flat on Black's stomach, taking in the warmth.

Black smirked, arching an eyebrow cheekily. [ _It gets better._ ]

"Is that a challenge? Or a promise?" Lilith asked, leaning her head down to kiss the side of Black's neck.

[ _Both._ ] Black replied, exhaling a full breath of shimmering hot air.

"You have my interest... and my attention." Lilith purred into Black's neck, letting her hand aimlessly explore the heavier, armour-like plating on Black's chest where a woman's breasts would normally be, much like a series of overlapping plates. Her other hand was sneaking around the Black's lower back as she spoke.

Black's own hand were respectively grasped around the underside of Lilith's thigh, just above the knee, and on her lower back.

It didn't take much longer before they both started getting a bit more bold with their hands, legs idly interweaving together, Lilith's fuller figure resting against Black's more lithe, armoured torso.

Black tilted her head back, pleased by the sensation of Lilith's lips and tongue on the edge of her scales where they met her skin, under her jaw. It elicited a rising rumble in her throat, not unlike the purring of a large cat or low growling.

Lilith didn't say anything about the rising sound of the purring, but it was definitely draconic in origin, and sounded absolutely divine to her ears. Coupled with the heating to her body against hers, she was thoroughly enjoying herself as she traced her fingers down and into the cleft of Black's scaly thighs, into the unarmoured, leathery hide area that surrounded her vulva.

The sudden contrast of contact from her scales to her much more sensitive hide sent a shiver up Black's spine, instinctively shivering and humming through her purring. She tightened her grips around Lilith's body, inching her legs apart a bit to allow better access for her fingers.

In doing so, that initial moment of contact caught Lilith's attention like a vigilant hawk. Black's body began to shimmer with bits of blue glow, mainly between cracks and gaps in her scales and chest plating.

"Oh my, that is glorious, darling. I love it!" Lilith sounded excited with the brief display of blue glow coming from her body. She leaned in particularly close, almost nose to nose with Black as she grinned triumphantly. "Show me more."

Black purred pointedly loudly, smirking as she licked her lips before pulling Lilith closer and in for a kiss again. Likewise, she grabbed Lilith's wrist and needily pulled it closer between her thighs, in a firm but silent command to continue what she was doing a moment ago.

Lilith had her fingers at the ready, tracing the pads of her fingers against the very edge of Black's slit, eliciting a loud gasp at the touch. But that mere touch was only the beginning, as Lilith's fingers started a delicate dance of pleasure waves rocking her to the core.

"Mmmm, that's it, darling. Lovely. Purr for me, that's such a delicious sound." Lilith hummed into the side of Black's neck as the scaled hide literally vibrated under her lips as she spoke. She was watching her little dragon writhe beneath her expert touch.

Black's face was flushed, cheeks turning a healthy pink blush, a few trickles of sweat on her human skin in particular, and of course the rising blue glow peeking from the cracks and the gaps of her body. She was practically melting into Lilith's embrace, unable to fully maintain a strong grasp anywhere on Lilith's back, despite her numerous attempts to find a handhold, no thanks to the tanning oil she was covered in.

In her grasping and squirming, however, one stray claw hooked into the back knot of her bikini and tugged it free.

"Mmmmm, eager?" Lilith separated her upper body for a moment, withdrawing her slick fingers from within Black's needy slit. She slowly reached up to her neck, where the second knot held the partially limp bikini in place, but with the same ease of movement, the garment was quickly discarded with far less concern than she had for Black's clothing. It landed in the water of the pool with a light splash. Likewise, the bikini panties were slowly, and very tauntingly, untied before being discarded with the same lack of care, presenting herself with one hand idly resting at her hip while her other hand cupped the underside of one of her own generous breasts, smirking at Black laying back beneath her.

[ _I want more._ ] Black signed, her hands slickened with residual oil from Lilith's back.

"So do I." Lilith purred, sliding both hands to the opposing position that they respectively started in. "Mmmm..."

[ _Please._ ] Black had a begging expression, the glowing on her body slowly fading as she made the signs.

"Shhh... just relax, I got this." Lilith slowly moved backwards on the lounger, lowering herself onto her knees until she was able to kiss Black's stomach, peering straight up her plating with a sly smirk on her face. "Mmmmm, spread a little bit wider please, my dear."

Black did as requested, widening her knees a bit until on the lounger, shifting her hips to give Lilith a better vantage.

With the same gentle precision, Lilith's fingers were back at her slickened entrance, and Black almost instinctively let out a jet of fire at the touch, barely containing the blast in time as the jolt of pure pleasure shot back through her body.

"Don't worry about any fire accidents, sweetie. Mmmmm..." Lilith lifted her lips away from her questing progress down Black's stomach for a moment. "I took the time before you arrived for fireproofing everything."

Black shook her head for a moment, but didn't bother signing. She wasn't going to expect such a precautionary luxury every time, even if Julius and Lilith were such powerful mages.

"That includes myself too." Lilith smirked as she inched her lips closer and closer with all four words, ending directly at Black's slit with the final. "Mmmm... You don't have to restrain yourself, my dear. I'll even bet that I can make you breathe out all that pent up fire..." She boldly challenged with a smirk up the length of Black's torso. "Do you think you can keep it all in?"


End file.
